Embark
by Death276
Summary: Welcome to the world of Remnant. Where shadows take the form of Grimm and dust is utilized to perform magic. Rise hero of silver eyes, your destiny awaits.
1. Welcome to Remnant

Elizabeth smiled at the living legend, resting peacefully in the chair before her. She silently laughed trying to imagine the face of her brother and sister if they saw her now. Who would believe the story of a boy sleeping at the edge of the world, protecting humanity from their own desire for death? But he was here now, sleeping soundly in the velvet room. She allowed her gloved hand to trace the boy's defined cheekbone before stepping back. She wished she could just stop time here, allowing the boy of miracles to rest for just a little longer. However time was of the essence and her master did not like to be kept waiting.

"Minato-sama, please wake up."

Silver irises immediately came into view, as Minato awoke. His eyes scanning the surroundings wildly trying to process where he was. Finally they settled on Elizabeth and for the first time in over a millennium the boy spoke.

"Elizabeth?" Minato wondered aloud as he allowed himself another cursory glance of the velvet room. "Am I…in the velvet room?" Confusion clearly colored his voice.

"All will be explained young man so please do be patient." The blue attendant stepped aside revealing her master, Igor, calmly watching him from across the room. "It has been quite a while, young man."

"I suppose," Minato replied hesitantly. He didn't know how many years had passed since becoming the Great Seal. "So how is humanity doing? With my soul here, I can only assume that Erebus is no longer a threat." The silence that met his question was chilling. The attendant refused to meet his face and even Igor's smile seemed to droop.

"I will not lie to you," Igor began breaking the silence. "After your sacrifice, humans lived from another 1000 or so years until they were overrun by shadows." Minato took this information like a blow to the chest.

"How? I thought that with my sacrifice the dark hour would end and Nyx would be kept safe." Minato questioned once he gathered himself.

"I am sorry to say that is not the case." Igor replied solemnly. "Although you stopped Erebus and Nyx's decent, humans still called for death. They refused to face the truth or were chained down by their desires. True, other persona users appeared across the generations trying to fight the shadows, but…" Igor trailed off unwilling to finish.

"So because Erebus was no longer a threat I was released from the seal." Minato hypothesized and Elizabeth nodded from beside him.

"Using the power of my awaked Fool, I was able to reverse the effects of the spell you cast." She supplied. "I figured it was the least I could do for you seeing as the Seal no longer held a point." Minato nodded his thanks to the attendant who responded with a bow.

"So what now?" Minato asked. "I can't exactly return to earth, seeing as humanity is gone."

"How about a second chance?" Minato leaned forward interest piqued from Igor's suggestion. "We can't turn back time if that is what you were hoping. However, we can reincarnate you into another universe, one that has not yet fallen to shadows."

"There are shadows in other universes?" Minato questioned. Igor nodded.

"As long as humans are alive shadows will exist alongside with them. Sometimes they do not take a corporal form, but they exist all the same. In the world we have chosen for you, the shadows exist as Grimm, huge beasts whom have devoted their lives to bring destruction."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Minato asked repressing a shiver.

"Most of your persona as well as your abilities will be taken from you. The transfer to another universe is quite taxing on the mind." Igor warned. "The only persona you will possibly retain is Messiah as he is the only one strong enough to survive the trip."

"Please refrain from using it." Elizabeth begged. "Without the use of an evoker, the strain of summoning a persona is tremendous. Along with the strength Messiah holds, there is a high likelihood you will die." Minato nodded taking in the information given to him. He looked between the two waiting for someone else to say something, he was met with silence however.

"Is it time?" The hollow question rung out as it left lips. Elizabeth brushed away a stray tear and Igor gave a solemn nod.

"I wish you the best of luck young man." Igor spoke as Minato was hit with a wave of drowsiness. "I can only hope your next life is fulfilling."

-Ω-

"You did it Laura, we finally have a son." A man's voice brought Minato to reality. Where was he? Minato was acutely aware that he was no longer in the velvet room. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. A baby's hand met his gaze. As he tried to reach for it, he watched as the hand moved farther away from him. It took Minato a moment to realize that it was his hand. He had been reborn as a child. It seemed that his reincarnation had worked. Minato immediately searched inward looking for potential persona that survived the trip. To his dismay he only felt the weak pulse from Messiah deep within him. He had only managed to retain a single persona and even it was in rough shape.

"He hasn't given a single cry." This time a woman's voice caught his attention. Her statement was met with a hearty laugh.

"Of course not, he is my son after all. He is strong willed and won't cry over small things. Minato felt as his body was lifted to face the woman who now held him in his arms. Blue hair spilled down her head in beautiful locks. Her chocolate eyes twinkled lightly showing her joy.

"Welcome to the world Minato." The woman, who he assumed was Laura, smiled. Minato stared back, silver irises flashing into view. A gasp escaped Laura as she gazed at him. "Anthony! Our child! He has… silver eyes." The last part was said like prayer. As a blond man came into his vision with an expectant look on his face, Minato began to sleepily close his eyes. He could sort this out later, he wanted to rest first.

-Ω-

"Honey, I am leaving for Scorch. I will be back by three." Anthony called out as he slipped out the door. Laura yelled her own quick goodbye, before returning to Minato who sat in the gathering room, a children's book placed before him. His parents had been overjoyed when they learned Minato could read at such a young age. They had excitedly shown him all the children's books they had and went as far to borrow some from the nearby town to allow Minato to read.

"Minato, I am going to tend to the garden. You stay here and enjoy the book all right?" Minato only nodded in response pretending to be absorbed in the reading material. His mother laughed and exited the house leaving him by himself. Finally, free from prying eyes, Minato stood and shakily made his way to the bookcase. He grasped the largest tome on the bottom shelf. The tome easily moved with his strength and Minato once again thanked Messiah for augmenting his abilities. With it he could perform feats that normal children could only dream of performing.

It had been two years since his birth into this world. Minato has gathered that he lived in a small cabin about a mile from the nearest town named Scorch. His small family consisted of only a mother and a father and himself. His father, Anthony, was a mere hunter, killing game for food and selling the skins in the town. His mother, Laura, stayed at home with him, but was always tending the garden in hopes of gathering useful vegetables for the coming months.

Over his two years Minato learned of the terror of Grimm. Although they were a rare occurrence they still appeared from time to time. The few that did appear were easily killed by the local hunters or were scared off. In the case of a pack of Grimm, a call was sent to Vale for a Huntsman to come and eradicate the threat.

The tome in Minato's hands, named Aura and Semblance, was his current "reading material." He had already out grown listening to his mother's stories of the four maidens and heroes of old and began to read on his own. Not about childish tales of princes and princesses, but about the world he was in.

If he was honest he was fascinated with the differences between this world and his original one. Dust was the first major difference being an energy source for this world. Grimm, this world's shadows, were also different, representing animals more than freaks of nature. An irrational hatred for humans and a temper to match was only the tip of the iceberg. They also left no remains, which Minato would have felt was creepy if he was not already used to the fact.

Another factor was the Faunus. Minato had never met one personally, but his father said there were several in town that he met with regularly. Apparently they looked human but held some animal traits, such as ears or tails. He silently sighed to himself on how Junpei would reacted to seeing a real life cat-girl. Minato shook his head to chase away the distracting thoughts.

The last differences were Semblances and Aura. The uniqueness of each individual's semblance had surprised him at first. Minato had reminded himself though that each of his party members had a unique persona and he had over one hundred. He yearned to learn his semblance, but it seemed futile. The book recommended training to not only control one's semblance, but discover it as well. Apparently one's personality was the major factor for their semblance. That or something that affected the person greatly, like a trauma or major experience. He had tried all his spells from his past life, but it seemed that the four elements he manipulated, (fire, wind, ice, and lighting) were beyond his abilities. Other spells from his previous life yielded similar results. Healing and aliment charms held no effect along with his enhancement charms. He had even gone so far as to try to freeze time like the Dark Hour, but it remained fruitless.

Minato however was persistent if nothing else. He reasserted himself to the book before him. Unfortunately, the sunlight that streamed in through the window had shifted from the book to Minato's eyes. He would need to find somewhere else to read. The tapping of glass caused him to look at the window behind him. His mother gave him a cheerful wave from outside and he returned the gesture, the sun to his back. His shadow mimicked his gesture and his mother returned to gardening. Minato let out a sigh. The only other major thing that affected his life were the creatures of Tartarus. The unholy abominations that lived to kill mankind. The…Minato dropped his train of thought as he gazed at his shadow stretched across the ground. He concentrated and slowly, the arm of his shadow extended. Minato stared in fascination as his shadow slowly waved to him like some deranged puppet. Maybe he didn't need the book after all.

-Ω-

It had been three years. Minato was outside attempting to stealthy practice his skills. His personal semblance was shadow manipulation. He could use and freely control any shadow within three meters of his person. Between three and seven meters his shadow would stay solid, but could not be controlled. At a distance past ten meters however his shadows fell apart, thus it was not usable at long distances. When fully utilized the shadows rose up from the ground becoming like grains of black sand. He could form this 'sand' anyway he wanted.

While his shadows could form solid and sharp structures they were costly to maintain. Unless he was touching the shadow directly, it cost extra stamina to hold it together. For example, Minato could create a bow and arrow, but shooting the arrow and keeping it solid would cost extra energy than keeping a sword in his hand. Shooting five arrows had the effect of causing him to be at a loss of breath. Trying to choke someone with a shadow was impossible as he would run out of stamina within half a minute.

He practiced in secret, trying to keep away from his parent's eye. Anthony had left for town, intent on selling some of the fur he had collected a few weeks prior. Laura was working on the garden, but she had sharp instincts.

"Don't wander too far Minato!" She called out to him as she spied him inching further into the forest. While Grimm were rare, wild animals still were among the woods. Most were shy and would flee on sight, but other animals would find her son to be a tasty snack. Minato obeyed slowly making his way back to the premise with a loud growl split through the air.

Laura stood, panic gripping her heart as a large Ursa stumbled into the clearing. It breathed deeply as if tracking a scent as Minato stood frozen examining the creature. It slowly looked up locking its eyes on its new target. Time stood still until it gave a roar and began to charge forward at Minato. Laura took action and ran for Minato. She reached him with only a few seconds to spare. Doing what she could, she covered him protectively hoping to shield him from the worst. She waited with baited breath for the pain, but it never came.

"Mom, let go." Minato muffled voice gently ordered her. She slowly released her son who looked completely unfazed at the attack of the Ursa. Realizing that the strike had not come Laura turned around on to see the Grimm on all fours growling at her. However, there was a barrier between them. A layer of black particles floated gently before Laura shielding Minato and her from harm.

"What is this?" Laura asked aloud reaching forward to touch the particles.

"This is my semblance." Minato spoke from behind her. "Shadows." He walked past her as the black particles condensed forming a short sword. He grasped the weapon giving it an experimental swing. Seeing that the barrier was gone the Ursa lunged forward. Laura screamed, but Minato lazily stepped to the side avoiding the attack by inches. As the beast passed, Minato slashed with his weapon leaving a large gash on its side. The Grimm growled in pain and stumbled away from Minato. Refocusing itself the Ursa rose on its hind legs and slowly approached Minato keeping a wide distance. Minato narrowed his eyes at the beast's change in nature. It was being more cautious.

"Look out for its claws!" Laura shouted a warning. Minato leapt backwards as the Ursa swung its paw at him. He silently cursed as he realized the reason for the monster's distance. His short sword's range paled in comparison to the Grimm's striking range. Minato avoided two more strikes before deciding to change his strategy. The sword in his hand exploded into a cloud of dust. The particles hung for a moment before reconverging into the shape of a spear. New weapon in hand, Minato thrust forward piercing the chest of the surprised Ursa. He was able to pierce the beast again before it recovered from its shock and leap back.

Deciding to fight another day, the beast turned around and began to run. Minato realized its plan and held his arm forward as if aiming. If he was to kill it, he would need to get some range. The shadows changed again forming a bow with a shadow arrow already notched. He drew back the arrow and fired. The shot was true, but before it struck its target the Ursa ran beyond the boundary of his range. The arrow blew apart allowing the Grimm to escape. With a silent curse Minato allowed the bow to fade from existence. Laura watched as Minato looked to her, face carefully left blank. He was trying to gauge her reaction to his actions. In seconds she closed the distance between them and enclosed him in her arms. He smiled. It seemed regardless of how unique or different her child was; she would always love him.

-Ω-

After the incident, Minato revealed that he had not only known about his semblance, but had been actively using it for about six months. He also expressed his want to see the world, instead of staying within the premises of the house all day.

Thus he asked for permission to leave the house during the day. Unsurprisingly, Laura didn't want to hear another word about the idea, but Anthony came to his defense. After proving his skills with his semblance and his expertise in eliminating Grimm and other animals alike, he was finally given permission to wander as long as he returned by sun fall.

Thus at the age of four Minato found himself wandering the woods, three miles from his home. The scenery was beautiful, but he needed to concentrate while in the forests. Who knew what was hiding nearby, waiting for a chance to strike. A far off explosion echoed in the air catching Minato's attention. Using his shadow to form a claw like grappling hook, he reached up and pulled himself up to a tree branch. Now at a higher angle he was able to see where the explosion had come from. A small pack of Grimm, four beowolfs, were being fought. Minato quickly made his way closer to the battlefield, using his shadows to quickly jump from tree to tree.

As Minato arrived he was finally able to discern where the explosions were coming from. A young girl was throwing fire balls at the Grimm, attempting to hold them off. The attacks were effective at keeping the creatures at bay, but they suffered no damage from the flaming projectiles. The silver haired girl gave another shout as she threw another ball at a beowolf who had begun to creep forward. If the girl's panting was anything to go by, she was on her last legs. Minato decided to step in, leaping to the ground in one bound. His arrival startled the Grimm and they lost slight interest in their current target to discover the source of the noise. Seeing another human, one of the beowolfs howled and charged Minato. It was thrown back as it ran into a wall of shadow. Taking use of the opening, Minato reformed the wall into a rapier and dashed forward. He delivered a flurry of stabs, the last causing the monster to disintegrate. The beowolves watched gauging their next move. In their hesitance however a fireball landed on another of the wolves disintegrating it in the flames. The girl apparently had some fight left in her. Decision made, the beowolves leapt, one to each target. Minato quickly changed weapons back to a sword and drove the weapon in to the attacker's chest. It stumbled for a moment allowing him to dealt a deep gash across its chest finishing it. The girl was not so lucky as the beowolf had managed to close the distance to the girl faster than she expected. A claw swipe held true and the girl gave a hiss of pain as blood dripped from her arm. Another explosion resounded and as the smoke cleared the silver haired girl was left panting, no Grimm in sight. Minato allowed his sword to disintegrated sensing no more Grimm in the area.

"Are you alrig-" Mianto's question was cut off as he narrowly dodged a fireball aimed for his head. He shot a look to the girl who already had another fireball in hand.

"Go away!" The girl panted out, the fire in her palm flickering dangerously. However, the blood leaking from her wound was clearly noticeable and the effect it was having was obvious. Minato watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open, as the physical exhaustion and aura exhaustion took its toll. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she had nothing to fuel her.

"You need to get that wound checked." Minato calmly argued withdrawing the roll of bandages he kept. He had had his own fair share of injuries on his little "excursions" from the house. Her blood loss, while not massive, could lead to complications if not treated. "Just allow me to bandage you and I will leave."

"I can't trust a human, there are just as bad as Grimm!" the girl declared throwing the ball she held. Her accuracy was off however and the attack landed far off target. Instead of creating another ball, she clasped her free hand over the wound, wincing as she did so. She couldn't trust a human? What was she talking about? It was only then did Minato notice the small fox ears peaking up from her silver locks and the small tail hanging from her backside.

"You're a Faunas." He intoned, more out of interest than surprise. His declaration was met with a sharp glare.

"That's right, and you're a filthy human my parents have warned me about." She responded with a growl. Minato narrowed his eyes. While he knew of the tension between the two races, he was a little off put at the bluntness of the fox girl's statement. He had hoped that he could at least speak to her without hostility, but that seemed impossible. Still he wasn't going to allow her to bleed out when he could have helped.

"Then patch yourself up." He called throwing the roll to the girl. "If you don't need my help then I am leaving." The surprise on her face as the bandages landed before her was priceless. She looked between Minato's retreating form and the roll expecting some sort of ruse.

"Wait!" The faunus girl immediately covered her mouth as Minato turned back to her questioningly. They took a moment look at each other before the girl slowly removed her hands from her lips. "Why?" The single word carried so many questions. Why did you help me? Why did you give bandages? Why aren't you attacking me? Why are you so… kind? Mentally Minato knew the Faunas war was still fresh in the minds of people regardless of how long it had been. This girl was probably a byproduct of the tensions. She was probably told by her parents, that humans were the same as Grimm or perhaps felt the persecution herself. Still Minato returned her question with a smile.

"Faunus and humans aren't that different. Treating Faunas different from humans is a bit childish don't you think?" The girl's only reaction was continuing to stare at Minato as if he was some freak of nature. He sighed and decided to leave before it got too awkward. "Once you're done with bandaging yourself, leave the extra by the base of the tree next to you. I will come pick them up tomorrow." With that Minato left resisting the urge to look back.

-Ω-

Minato was relatively sure she wasn't going to listen to him. She was a four-year-old Faunas that hated humans. His roll of bandages was gone and for all he was concerned he was wasting his time going back to the sight of the battle. Therefore, one could imagine his surprise when he found not only the roll of bandages but the fox Faunas as well, waiting for him at the base of the appointed tree. As he approached the girl's ear perked and leap up whirling to face him. Confirming that it wasn't some sort of Grimm she relaxed, but kept the roll tightly in her hand. Minato finally stopped a few paces before her waiting for her to give him the item. His expectations were dashed as she began to speak.

"Who are you?" The question caught him off guard. He blinked before letting out a sigh.

"Why do you care? Just give me the bandages and I can-"

"Answer the question, or I am going to burn your stupid roll!" The fox-girl practically shouted, crushing the said item tightly. Minato remembered that one's semblance reflected a person's personality somewhat. If her semblance was fire that spoke leagues about her character. This certainly didn't bode well for his item. Well it wasn't like he was expecting to get it back anyway. However, he had traveled five miles and his item was being dangled in front of him like carrot on a stick. He would not be treated like a child, when his time could be spent more efficiently.

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself first? Or is that just a human thing?" Minato countered watching the girl's face twist in anger.

"I am the one asking the questions!" she shouted again, but Minato lost his patience. A shadow claw reached for the girl and dragged her toward him until her face was inches from his.

"I not only saved you from Grimm yesterday, but gave you bandages for you wounds after you threw a fireball at me." He spoke with a menacing tone. "The least you can do is give me what is mine so I can leave." The claw around her collapsed and she dropped to her knees releasing the bandages. Minato scooped up the bandages and made to leave until a sniff filled the surroundings. He gave a look back at the girl who had tears spilling from her eyes. Her ears had drooped and she looked as if she was holding back from completely breaking down. Maybe he had been too harsh? She was only four years old, so perhaps losing his temper to such an extent had been a bit much. Besides if his mother heard about him making a girl cry he wasn't going to get off easy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry." Minato apologized as he knelt down before the crying girl. He reached for her and she flinched back slightly. He continued though and pulled the girl into a hug. She was hesitant but eventually nuzzled into his shoulder and sobbed. "If you want to talk we can, but you can't be so threatening." He continued to whisper comforting words to her, drawing what he hoped to be comforting patterns on her back. He didn't have much experience with crying woman and he prayed that it stayed that way. Finally, the muffled cries stopped and the girl's tail began to swish back and forth alerting him to her elevated mood.

"You alright?" he asked as he removed her from his soaked shoulder. She only nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "Alright, would you like to start over?" Another nod. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"M-my name is Kira Ryusei." She quietly muttered. She looked to Minato gathering her courage. "Uhm…what's your name?"

"Minato Arisato." He replied with a small smile. Technically this was untrue as his official last name was Buren, but he doubted that it would matter. Kira nodded seeming to accept his answer. She seemed to be muttering it under her breath trying to memorize it. "Where do you live?" His question startled her from her endless chanting.

"Oh! I…live in Ion. I think it is about a mile from here." Minato nodded in agreement. Scorch and Ion are about five miles apart. The town is small much like its neighbor. It focuses on fishing as it is much closer to the sea. He is brought out of my internal musing by Kira.

"Where do you live?" Minato briefly wondered if she was just going to parrot back his questions. He decided to ignore his slight frustration and answer.

"I live a mile from Scorch, it is a small town around five miles from here." He added in case she was unaware where Scorch was. If the question of why Minato was five miles away from his hometown without any guardians appeared in Kira's mind, then she didn't show it. They talked for a while longer taking turns asking questions and answering them. It turned out Kira's father was killed by humans, when she was only a year old. Her mother had fled from the city and settled in Ion try to live a new life. While her mother did not advocate violence or hatred to humans, Kira felt that is was unfair. Thus her act of anger towards me when we first met. In turn Minato told her about my peaceful life in Scorch. About his father's job and his mother's garden. The questions and stories began to wane as the sun slowly descended on the horizon.

"It's getting late." Minato stated bluntly noticing the sun's location in the sky. "I need to get home soon." Kira stands from her position beside him. She has opened up over the course of the day, but is looking at him hesitantly. Before Minato can ask what is bothering her, she blurt outs what's on her mind.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Her face matches the crimson of the sun as soon as she realized what she has said. Minato decides to take pity on her and answered the question.

"If you want to." Minato replied with a gentle smile. Kira's ears perk up and a delighted smile lights up her face. She catches herself though and schools her face to be more normal, her tail however gives her away as it is swaying contently.

"Alright I will see you tomorrow. Don't be late." With that she runs off immediately in the direction of her home. Minato only can shake his head in laughter.

"She told me not to be late, but we didn't agree on a time." He sighed. He began his long walk home feeling content. At least he had something of interest tomorrow.

-Ω-

This took way too long to workshop. When I decided to write the story, I had characters, team names, semblances and weapons all in mind. Than after a talk with my editors, I was left with just characters... Fun fact, Minato's original semblance was the Dark Hour and he could freeze time. That idea got shot down real fast. Hopefully this story will be update just as frequently as my other story, New Beginnings, but seeing as I missed the deadline for that don't count on it.

In all seriousness though, New Beginnings will be updated in a week as all my focus was on this story. Hopefully I can have a story updated every week between this one and the other.

A huge thank you for my beta Mingyu for reading the chapter at such short notice. Also to my editors who read this at 4 am so I could find any errors to correct.

Please consider giving a favorite follow or review, though I can't really force you. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	2. To Lose Everything

The gentle sun peaked through the trees upon the clearing that Minato sat. His back rested against the trunk of a tree as he read. The book in his hand was one of fiction, as he had already long exhausted his parents' bookshelf of worldly information. A year had passed since his encounter with Kira, the fox Faunus. They had met several times a week, slowly getting to know each other. Minato had patiently smothered the notion of humans being evil and Kira had, in time, become more docile in her interactions with him. That being said, she still held quite a temper. Their time in the forest was usually spent talking or relaxing. However, every now and then they would spar. Training their semblance or just with the items on hand. Even now Kira's shouts could be heard as she swung a stick practicing.

Beside Kira was their newest addition however. Minato watched as the shy black haired girl notched another arrow into her makeshift bow. Cinder Fall had met the odd duo on one of their many outings. She had understandably been nervous, but Kira's outgoing attitude and Minato's calm gestures had gotten her to come out of her shell somewhat. She had infrequently joined the duo when she had time. She lived in Ion along with Kira, but her family didn't interact with Faunas. Although she was outwardly meek, she was curious, fiercely so. Minato saw it in her eyes when she asked questions. She thirsted for knowledge, for something beyond what she had. He had answered all he could, but even he was at a loss for words at her endless supply of inquiries. To get some peace, he had taught her how to use a bow. Now she practiced with it daily, honing the skill.

"Tell us a story." Minato looked up from his book at the two pairs of eyes pinning him to the tree. He had been so lost in thought that he had missed them approaching.

"I am not your parent, you know." Minato replied as his eyes returned to the literature before him. "Ask them for a story."

"They only tell the boring stories." Kira responded with a huff. "About knights and princesses." Her face scrunched up as if remembering a particularly bad story. "They always end with kissing and gross stuff." Minato rolled his eyes at her childishness.

"Don't you two know stories? Just tell each other a few stories." Minato suggested as he turned another page.

"No!" Cinder's declaration caught him off guard causing him to jump. Minato and Kira sent her a questioning look and she blushed under their scrutiny. "I-I mean. You tell the best stories and..." She trailed off sending Kira a narrowed glance. "Kira always ruins the stories by adding in a bunch of silly scenes."

"I am trying to make the stories more interesting." Kira defended crossing her arms. "The story of little red riding hood would be so much better if the grandmother was a pro at extreme sports." Minato snapped the book in his lap closed. It seemed like he would have to get his reading done another time.

"Enough." The bickering stopped instantly as Minato spoke. "Sit down." The order was instantly followed, both girl's eyes alight with the possibility of a new story. "There once was a pink alligator-"

"You already told us this one," Kira whined. "It's so sad and depressing and…" She stalled apparently running out of adjectives to define the story. Finally, she gave up on the description and jumped back to her argument. "We already heard it, tell us something new."

"What story would you like to hear?" Minato asked patiently looking between the two. The two exchanged a look trying to decide on what kind of story they wanted to hear.

"Uhm…how about the story about the boy who changed fate? You never did finish that one." Cinder spoke up. Kira immediately agreed, ears perking up in interest. Minato inwardly sighed. There was no book containing the story, 'The boy who changed fate.' It was his past life told in a story-like way. There was no real harm in it though. There was no history book detailing the past of Tokyo they could read. The Kirijo foundation and Tatsumi port island didn't exist, just names in a tale that he told. They could never make the connection between himself and hero that fought through the mysterious tower of Tartarus.

"All right, where did I leave off?" Minato asked trying to recall the story he had told the pair.

"The hero was meeting the monk in the magical cavern." Kira filled in excitedly. Minato almost snorted aloud. He had forgotten that he had described Club Escapade as 'a magical cavern to forget one's worries.'

"Yes, the hero met the monk and…" It almost was nostalgic talking about his past adventure. Memories of his past bonds and teammates brought a private smile to his lips and elicited laughter from the listening pair. There were times he changed details or left them out entirely. He was rather sure they wouldn't be interested in his dates with Elizabeth and almost positive they didn't want to hear about the full brutality of Tartarus. So as the tale continued on the sun slowly crawled across the sky.

"The hero and his companions came across a hot spring."

"Hot Spring?" Cinder asked at the unfamiliar term.

"Imagine a pool of water, but instead of being used to cool someone off, it was warm and used to relax in." Cinder slowly nodded her understanding and Minato continued."The hero and his companions relaxed in the hot spring, feeling the ache ebb away from his muscles. However, their relaxation was to be cut short."

"Did a monster attack them from the springs?!" Kira nearly shouted, and she was immediately shushed by Cinder who urged him to continue.

"The door the hot springs opened and the hero's female companions entered unaware of them being there." The girls gasped, eyes widening at the implications. They knew of Yukari's fury and even more of Mitsuru's ability of 'execution.' "The hero and his male companions panicked but saw that there was a back door to the hot springs. Silently they made their way to the door hoping they could escape."

"They got away?" Cinder whispered despite no reason to keep quiet.

"No," Minato resisted the chill that shot down his spine. He could still remember the feeling of ice in his bloodstream after the girls had caught them. "They received an execution." Kira howled with laughter and Cinder's eyes went wide as dinner plates. Damn it Junpei, he just had to lose his towel.

"Some hero," Kira chuckled, "getting caught in the hot springs."

"Well we will have to end there for today." Minato stood suddenly brushing off the soot from his pants.

"But, it's not even late yet." Kira complained as Cinder stood and mimicked Minato motions. Minato sent her a dry glance.

"You only have to walk a mile to get here. I have five miles to travel," He pointed out effectively quieting Kira.

"Will we see you tomorrow?" Cinder asked innocently as Minato turned to leave. He shook his head and a downtrodden expression attached itself to Cinder's face.

"I promised to go to town with my parents tomorrow. I will be free the day after though." At his announcement Cinder cheered up and even Kira's tail began to swish back and forth. "See you in two days." Minato smiled as he heard their farewells as he slowly made his way back through the woods. He hoped these lazy days would last for a while longer.

-Ω-

Three months had passed and fall had finally arrived. The trees had changed from their sea of green to flurried mess of orange, red, and yellow. Although the temperature was still comfortable, Minato still had a jacket clasped tightly around his body. The days were steady getting shorter thus his meetings with his friends had become shorter as a result. He could not let his thoughts drift too far however as he was under the assault of two girls. Kira was acting as vanguard and attacking from the front, while Cinder played the role of support, trying to snipe him with dull arrows. Minato was alone using wielding two sticks.

"Stop dodging!" Kira shouted in frustration as Minato ducked under another swipe from her makeshift sword. In response to her clumsy swing Minato countered by using one of his sticks to poke her in side causing her to shriek. Cinder, hoping for a lucky hit, let loose an arrow from in front of Minato. He only sigh and knocked the arrow down in midflight.

"Cinder, you know better than to attack from the front and Kira what do you expect me to do?" Minato chastised them both.

"You have two weapons and we have one each!" Kira grumbled. "You have the advantage!"

"Kira," Cinder spoke up. "I think he wants us to improve our teamwork because he had two weapons. He may have more weapons but we have more people." Kira sent Cinder a sharp glare, and Cinder gave a small whine and backed off.

"She is right Kira." Minato confirmed. "I hear most huntsmen and huntresses work in teams. It is vital that you can work with the people around you to achieve the best result." Kira only huffed in response, but gave a single nod to acknowledge the lesson. Minato decided that was the best he was going to get from her and called for a break.

"Why are you trying to teach us anyway?" Kira questioned as she relaxed against a nearby tree. Cinder knelt down as well, the leaves crackling beneath her.

"We won't always be able to see each other." Minato stated simply. Kira's shocked look was matched with her wilting ears. Cinder too looked distressed by his words.

"Are you going somewhere?" Cinder asked quietly. Minato smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't mean that we wouldn't see each other soon. I meant we will eventually grow up and separate." Kira and Cinder visibly calmed down and Minato continued. "But remember, I am going to travel the world. Sure, it is quite a few years out, but I will leave eventually." The silence dragged on till it was awkward and Minato felt bad for bringing up the subject. He decided to switch topics to clear the air. "Do you two have future dreams?" His question startled the two from their inner thoughts and Kira was the first one to speak.

"Well I know now that not all human as bad," She spoke giving Minato and Cinder and small smile. "I think I might join the White Fang. My mother said they are a peaceful group looking to keep equality between humans and Faunus." She gave Minato a shy glance and was overjoyed when he gave a nod in approval.

"I think I am just going to stay in Ion." Cinder's soft voice drifted into the conversation. "I am not too skilled in anything else aside from housework." While her skills with a bow were improving, she had yet to show her semblance and was timid when it came to fights. She was certainly not suited to the battlefield.

"What, don't you have any dreams?!" Kira shouted. "Like exploring the world or becoming a huntress?" Cinder quickly held up her hands to rectify her statement.

"I do…but I don't have those abilities." She said weakly. "I mean I wasn't born knowing my semblance or under a rich family. It's just how it has to be." The silence after she finished was thick, even the excitable Kira stayed silent. Kira looked to Minato for help. He sighed.

"Then fight fate." Cinder head snapped up and looked at him incredulously. "Nothing in this world is set in stone. Truthfully it won't be easy. You will have some things stacked against you, but that doesn't mean you have to give up."

"Like the boy who fought fate from the fairy tale?" Cinder asked. Minato had to resist the urge to laugh. If only she knew who she was talking to.

"That's right, even though the world was doomed, he refused to run away. He fought fate head on and won. If you follow his example, then you can achieve anything," Minato promised. "And if even you fail, I will be there to help you." A blush filled Cinder's face as his words sank in.

"No fair, you're getting ahead of me!" Kira interjected pointing at Cinder. She quickly grabbed Minato's arm. "You have to promise to help me too!" Minato raised an eyebrow at the five-year-old fox Faunus.

"You know I would help both of you. Now stop fooling around. We need to focus on training." Minato shook Kira from his arm and picked up his makeshift weapons, much to the pair's dismay.

"Can't we focus on our semblance instead?" Kira asked lighting a fireball in her palm. Minato shook his head quickly.

"The ground is covered with leaves Kira. If your fire hit the ground, there could be a forest fire." He pointed out.

"Nonsense, watch!" In her inexperience Kira firmly believed that her fire would fade seconds after landing. She couldn't have been more wrong. She threw the stray fireball into a nearby cave. The fire began to spread slowly until the flames grew out of control. Minato immediately threw out his shadows trying to smother the fire. It worked to some degree, and finally the flame died.

"See! What did I-" Minato's rant was cut off by a low rumbling from the cave. Three pairs of red eyes glowed from the cave. The echoing steps of a monster sounded until two claws became visible and then long spindly legs. They watched in horror as a Death Stalker emerged from the cavern. The eyes fixed on the three.

"Get behind me!" Minato roared throwing the sticks to the side and forming swords in both his hands. Beowolves and Ursa Minato could handle…but this. A claw shot forward and he formed a shield out of reflex. The Stalker was unperturbed as it used its golden stinger to strike from above. Minato leapt back, but was unable to avoid the shockwave from the impact. The Stalker screeched, its call echoing around the woods.

"Minato!" Cinder yelled from behind him. He turned to scream at them to run but his eyes widened. Beowolves were slowly surrounding them. Not just one or two, but an entire pack. Cinder was shaking like a leaf and even Kira looked seconds away from crying.

"Come to me!" He rushed towards them and they responded in kind, closing the distance between them. "Hold on tight." He ordered as he attempted to wrap one arm to encircle the girls. He used his shadows and formed a claw to pull himself and his friends from harm's way. They landed in the branches of a tree, but the feeling of safety did not last for long. The wolves rushed the tree, clawing and howling trying to get them. The Stalker slowly made its way to the trunk as well and with one motion struck the tree with its claw. The tree shook from the force and gave a large groan. Two more strikes and the tree began to fall. Minato leap to another tree, but the process only repeated itself. The wolves calling for their blood and the Death Stalker happily destroying trees. Kira was openly crying now, and Cinder was whimpering after each strike from the Death Stalker. Minato's panic was beginning to affect his thinking. Maybe he could summon Messiah to get them out safely? No, he would be dead before the summoning could finish. Forcing himself to calm down he finally realized what could save them.

"Kira! Start dropping fireballs!" Minato shouted over the howls. The teary eyed girl only yelled back.

"Are you insane? We are in a tree! We would burn up with it!" She twisted he face to look down at the clawing Grimm as the Stalker struck the tree.

"Trust me!" No sooner had the words left his lips then Kira eyes cleared of fear. Flames burst into her hand and she dropped it down into the howling mass. The wolves leapt away allowing the flames to feed on the dry leaves. The fire soon spread, like a deadly wall of flame chasing he Grimm eastward. Using his ability Minato used the trees to leap of over the wall of fire and guided the trio to the ground.

"Go to Ion and warn them about the horde of Grimm." Minato wasted no time instructing them. "Tell them there are at least thirty beowolves and a Death Stalker."

"What about you?" Cinder asked nervously as Minato glanced back to the fire.

"Those Grimm are headed for Scorch. I will see if I can lead them off the path to somewhere else." He turned, intent on chasing the fleeing monsters, but someone caught his sleeve.

"You'll be here tomorrow, right?" Kira asked clutching Minato's jacket. _You won't die…right?_ The hidden question was painfully obvious. Minato voice ignited, lips forming the words to make a promise to the two of them. However, the howls of the beowolves echoed from the distance and Minato stepped away, Kira's grip failing to hold him. He needed to get back to Scorch, he needed to leave immediately.

"I have to go, please warn Ion!" Without wasting another second, Minato left ignoring the calls that echoed after him. He started at a full on sprint, but even with adrenaline pumping through his vein his young body could not make the complete distance without rest. He attempted to lean against a tree, but hissed at the heat it gave off. The ground below him was completely burnt proof that the fire had already passed. How naïve he had been to believe he could catch up to a horde of Grimm. He choked on the acrid smell of smoke coming from the remaining ash left by the flames. He began to move forward, breathing hard. Maybe the fire had died out, or the Grimm had changed direction. With his dim hope, he trudged on.

Minato didn't realize he had reached Scorch until he noticed that the dirt he had been walking on was now cobblestone. The town was demolished and in flames. The once tall houses were completely leveled. The Grimm must have rushed through the town, causing major damage until the fire swept through and burnt the rest. Minato walked through the ruins no daring to make a noise. Bodies were strewn across the ground. The corpses were either burned or crushed. he mentally tried to avoid looking at the faces. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized his parents had gone to town today. He sincerely hoped they had left before the Grimm came. He was at fault for this. He had told Kira to drop the fire to allow them to escape, but in doing so doomed his entire village. Minato chocked down the bile he felt rising in his throat.

"Minato." The call was so weak that he thought he had imagined it at first. Upon turning, he felt his heart bleed. His mother lay under a collapsed house a trail of blood coming from her mouth. He was at her side in seconds desperately trying to move the rubble. To his horror his mother stopped him, grasping his arm her weak hold. "Please listen." Her weak command stopped him and he got as close to her as her could to hear her voice.

"I am so happy to see you one last time." She whispered, and Minato strained his ear further in fear that the wind would snatch her words away. "We love you, Minato. Both your father and I, we have high hopes for you. You can be anything and I hope you never lose sight of your dreams. I am sorry we can't stand beside you. We will continue to watch over you." She reached her hand up to wipe the tears that he didn't realize were spilling down his cheeks. "we are so proud of you, so please, continue to make us proud." With that the light in her eyes faded and her hand dropped from his cheek. He continued to kneel there for what seemed like an eternity. Not just once but twice had his parent be stripped from him, in a blink of an eye.

The rumbling behind him caused him to numbly turn to see the Death Stalker and several Beowolves around him. Apparently they had escaped the fire and return to the town. Emotion swirled within him. Hurt, regret, rage, despair, sadness, everything seemed to engulf him. He screamed out feeling his throat go raw from the single action.

The sound echoed through the dead town and the beowolves stepped back unsure of what had transpired. Minato stood, his silver eyes flashing to each his opponents. The first beowolf rushed forward intent on ending his life. Black dust erupted from the ground and Minato swung the short sword already having formed in his hand. The Beowolf landed head severed from its base. Minato slowly stepped forward the agitated particles dancing around him like bugs to a light. Two more beowolves tried their luck, but their lives ended in moments of reaching Minato. One bisected through the waist the other stabbed through the head. The last of the beowolves would not back down however. At once they all jumped, trying desperately to avenge their fallen brethren. With a single twitch of his finger the shadows around Minato moved forming a net catching the beasts. The net then curled in on itself forming a bag trapping the beowolves. Minato held out his palm and clamped his fist shut. The shadows obeyed shredding the Grimm into particles. Minato stopped before the Death Stalker staring it, one of its many eyes. It hisses out a warning, but even the beast had limited intelligence. It was no longer the hunter, but the hunted.

It struck with its claws simultaneously hoping to clamp Minato between them. The shadow however blocked it and resisted its enormous strength. Next the Stalker used its stinger but this too was a wasted effort as the black particles block it too. Minato drew back his short swords and lunged forward stabbing the closest eye. It screeched but was given no time to recover as Minato struck again and again. It moved away its claws and stinger trying to escape but Minato pursued it, jumping on its back and piercing its hard shell. It wasn't till a few minutes later that the Death Stalker met its ultimate demise. It collapsed under the countless wounds that Minato had inflicted. As the corpse faded away, Minato stumbled trying to regain his breath. The limitless energy he had felt moments before suddenly disappearing like someone had switch off a light. A low whistle pierced the air.

"That was impressive," A voice said. "Not as impressive as me of course." Minato whirled around sword at the ready. The man was thin wearing a gray uniform or sorts. A sword with what seemed to be a gear near the handle, was resting easily on his shoulder. His black hair was slicked back, but what caught Minato's attention was his red eyes. Just like Grimm. The man seemed to follow Minato train of thought as he held up his hand innocently. "I am not an enemy kid. I am a hunter sent in at the request of the town of Ion. They said that there were a herd of Grimm including a Death Stalker on its way to Scorch. I came as fast as I could but…" he trailed off looking at the wreckage.

"Yeah…you were a bit late." Although it sounded harsh, Minato's voice held no venom. It was simply a statement of fact. At least that meant Cinder and Kira had delivered the message. His vision began to swim before him as everything blurred into one color.

"Well the name is Qrow Branwen, I will need to take you in for question- hey!" Qrow leap forward, but was too late to stop Minato falling face first into the rubble. He lifted Minato up calling, but Minato made no response. As Minato's consciousness faded, he heard Qrow speak on last time. "I was right…this kid has silver eyes." After those word Minato heard no more.

-Ω-

The first thing Minato heard when he woke up was arguing.

"You dragged a kid all the way to Ozpin because he had silver eyes?" A feminine voice sounded from his left. The accusation in the voice was quite clear.

"The kid not only was using a semblance but took down ten beowolves and a Death Stalker by himself." A voice he recognized as Qrow's responded. "That has to be something to check into."

"You know what else needs to be checked? Aside from that empty skull of yours, what about his name? His family? This kid could have a family and you just dragged him god knows where to parade him in front of Ozpin."

"I don't have a family, not anymore." His voice cut through their argument as he slowly got up from the bed, ignoring the sting pain in his joints. A hand was on his shoulder instantly gently pushing him down. He didn't resist and laid back onto the pillow. The blond haired woman, looked at him with concern behind her bespectacled green eyes.

"You need to rest, young man." She spoke calmly. "You used your Semblance to an extreme amount and your aura was almost completely used up." Minato eyed her wearily for a short moment before he sighed and closed his eyes. After a few moments of contemplation, he opened them again.

"How long have I been out." He asked unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Not as long as you think," Qrow responded. "About a day plus or minus a few hours. Frankly I am amazed you regained your consciousness that quickly. I expected you to be out for at least a week. The woman shot him a look before returning he gaze to Minato.

"I am sorry for Qrow's attitude. I am Glynda Goodwitch, right now you are in Beacon Academy in the medical ward. You are in the city of Vale, do you know where that is?" Minato nodded, remembering the map that he had seen of the continent. Glynda smiled and changed her focus to another topic. "Do you remember your name?"

"My name is Minato Aristato." Not that he hated his father name, but Arisato was far more natural for him to say.

"And your family?" Glynda urged.

"Most likely dead." The two immediately tensed, but Minato continued regardless. "My mother died after giving me her final wishes. I assume my father is in the wreckage as well." Glynda stared at him as if resisting the urge and hold him, however even that resistance broke and warm arms encircled him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She muttered. He didn't break down in her arm but he did nuzzle closer, holding on to the small fragment of warm she gave.

"How is he?" A new voice rung out, but Glynda did not relinquish her hold on him immediately. As she slowly removed herself from Minato's line of sight a new man came into view. His hair was grey, and he wore a pair of glasses on the tip of his nose. In his hand a steaming cup of coffee billowed forth the smell of freshly ground beans. In his other hand a cane was held, but it didn't seem he needed it to support his weight.

"I am sure he has felt better, Oz." Qrow cut in. "The kid watched one of his parents die in front of him." The man shook his head at Qrow's lack of tact and took a quick drink of coffee.

"Forgive me for the late introduction. I am professor Ozpin. I am the headmaster here at Beacon." He paused as Minato introduced himself. "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I believe you need to hear it. As I am sure you know, Scorch has been completely obliterated. The combination of both the Grimm and fire have left it barren." Minato nodded knowing as much. "The sister town of Ion, made the report that Scorch may have been attacked so I sent Qrow to investigate. However, about an hour later another message was received from Ion that they were also under attack from a large horde of Grimm. Despair and negative emotion attracted more Grimm and Ion fell within the hour." Minato's face remained stoic but he felt another stab to his already broken heart.

"Did anyone survive?" Minato asked calmly despite his inner turmoil.

"That has yet to be confirmed. However, I will be frank. The chances are no much higher than Scorch." Minato nodded digesting the information. His hometown was destroyed and his parents were dead. His friends were also most likely deceased. He felt both mentally and physically exhausted and wanted little more than to curl up and cry himself to sleep. Still, he had survived the first time. He would persevere, to make his parents proud.

"So am I headed to an orphanage?" Minato asked though there was little doubt about it. Glynda frowned guiltily at him while Qrow only looked away.

"Actually, if you were of age I would invite you to my school." Ozpin voice carried an almost humorous note. "From what I heard from Qrow, you seem to be quite skilled at fighting for someone so young. However, you are only five and I have no doubt that you don't want to be thrown into a life of fighting so young. If it is all right with you, would you like to learn under me?" Glynda stared at Ozpin as if he gone insane and Qrow laughed.

"Learn under you?" Minato couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious of the offer.

"That's right. I would hate for a talent like yours to waste away. I will offer you shelter and necessities and you will learn from me until you graduate from my academy, free of charge of course." He winked and Minato had a hard time not questioning the man's sanity.

"I would say it sounds too good to be true." Minato responded warily.

"Then I suggest you accept it while the offer still lasts." Ozpin countered in a heartbeat. Minato ran over his option again. He could either take Ozpin's offer or be shipped off to an orphanage. It didn't take a genius to make the decision.

"I guess I will be in your care." Minato confessed with a sigh.

"Welcome to Beacon." Ozpin laughed.

-Ω-

A huge thank you for my beta Mingyu for reading the chapter even while he had computer troubles.

Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed or reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	3. First Day Off

"Kira, please come out. Your dinner is getting cold." Kira's mother called from outside her room. However, Kira ignored her mother pleas and curled up tighter in her bed. It had been a week since Ion was destroyed. Since Cinder and Kira had parted ways. Since she last saw Minato.

You killed him.

Upon their return to Ion, Cinder and Kira had warned most of the town of Scorch's imminent danger. A call to Vale was made requesting hunters be sent and the girls were sent home. Unfortunately, the night did not end there. Howls and screams ripped through the town as the Grimm began to invade drawn there from the distress of the citizens. Kira's mother had grabbed her and fled, hoping to escape. Whether by luck or by grace they avoided the attack. They hid out in the woods until the Huntsmen came and cleared out the Grimm. The next day, Kira had begged her mother to allow her to wait in the forest. After a brief argument, her mother relented and the pair traveled to the spot where she always met Minato. Cinder was already waiting there by the time they arrived. Her dress was dirty and the circles around her eyes suggested she hadn't slept the previous night. Upon asking it turned out she had been there since the attack on Ion.

By the time the sun was steadily ascending into the sky Kira began to truly worry. Minato would have been here by now. He was never here later than eleven.

"Should we look for him?" Cinder asked quietly. The question was only met with silence as the group exchanged looks with each other. Slowly Kira faced the way Minato would always turn towards as he left. The way to Scorch. As she began to walk she heard Cinder rise to follow her and eventually her mother as well. The trio marched grimly through the burned forest, keeping an ear out for sounds of Grimm. Four miles later they were met the scene of a completely obliterated town. Nothing was left standing and everything was charred black. It wasn't hard to imagine the outcome. It was then that Cinder said the words that haunted her.

"You killed him." It was barely above a whisper, but Kira still felt the stab to her heart as if Cinder had shouted it. Kira turned to her friend only to see tears in her eyes. "If only you didn't throw that fireball and wake up that Death Stalker. He would have- he wouldn't be…"

"No, I didn't- I didn't mean to-" Kira's throat closed as she choked back a sob. Those words were echoing in her head, bouncing back and forth. She couldn't have kill her best friend…her first friend. The feeling rose in her throat again and she hiccupped unable to force the cry down into. Tears flooded Kira's eyes, spilling hot streaks down her face. A small whimper turned in to a small cry and finally Kira fell to the ground sobbing. Her mother's arms were around her instantly soothing her, but Kira silently wished for another pair to hold her. By the time her crying had ceased, Cinder was gone, having left with tears on her face.

It had been a week since then. Kira and her mother had been able to hitch a ride to a relative's who lived in the far off town of Northstar.

"Kira, can we talk?" Her mother's voice once again filtered through the door. A few moments later, the door creaked open, her mother taking her silence as permission. The bed creaked slightly as she sat down beside Kira's curled up form. "You thinking about him again?" Although it was phrased as a question, there was no real need to answer. Her mother sighed and wrapped Kira up into another embrace. "Do you think he would hate you?" The question threw her off guard. Would Minato hate her? Almost certainly, but… Minato was strict yet kind. Her mistakes had always been met with a firm, but forgiving hand. Minato would forgive her and tell her to do better like the countless of other times she made a mistake. At least she hoped he would.

"No, he would forgive me… he would tell me to keep my head up and try harder." Kira responded after a few moments of thought. Even as the words left her lips she could fell an invisible weight being lifted from her chest. Her ears perked up ever so slightly and her tail swished across the bed. A smile spread across her mother's lips as she watched the changes occur.

"So what do you think you should be doing?" Her mother's voice filled with relief. Kira's response was to slide out of bed and give her mother a weak smile.

"I guess I will have to try harder." She would never forget him, the boy who changed her world. Maybe he would never forgive her, even in the afterlife. She could try to make it up to him though. One day at a time.

-Ω-

Minato grimaced as Qrow's sword impacted his own shadow sword. When Ozpin said he wanted to test Minato's abilities he was not expecting this. His shadow lashed out like a whip, but Qrow dodged, leaping out of its range. Glynda stood by watching along with Ozpin and his ever present coffee cup.

"He is doing quite well for his age. Considering his opponent." Glynda commented taking down a few more notes. Opzin nodded in agreement as Minato raised a shield to block an incoming hail of bullets.

"Not only is his semblance adaptable, but he uses it to the fullest extent." Ozpin praised as Minato's shadows morphed into boxing gloves. "He can use swords, knives, rapiers, spears, boxing gloves, and even a bow with infinite ammo. He can also use his shadow as a claw and a shield. His shadow literally weighs nothing so he does not tire under the weight. It is infinitesimally thin so it can slice through most objects. An added bonus is that he will never need to perform maintenance as it is only made of shadow." Ozpin shook his head at Minato's unbelievable ability. "If not for the obvious drawback, I would say he could defeat some of the best hunters."

"Drawback?" Glynda questioned as she watched Minato land a hit on Qrow. She was unable to hide a smile as the punch sent Qrow stumbling back. Qrow's aura would have protected him so the only thing that could have been hurt was his pride, which made the attack all the sweeter. Taking a chance, Minato shifted his shadows into a bow and he fired an arrow with stunning accuracy.

"His range," Ozpin revealed as he watched the arrow dissipate into dust. Qrow had grasped Minato's drawback as well and instead of closing the distance between them he fired bullets forcing Minato onto the defensive. "He has a limited distance of about seven or so meters till his shadows dissipate." Ozpin continued. "If he can't keep his opponent in that threshold then he is unable to hit his target." A few minutes later Glynda called the fight as Qrow simply avoided Minato's range and fired shots keeping him at bay.

"Nice try kid, maybe next time you can get a second hit in." Qrow joked attempting to ruffle the boy's hair. The gesture was swatted off in moments by Minato who glared daggers into Qrow.

"You wouldn't have such an advantage if I had a weapon of my own." Minato commented, brushing off the dust from their battle.

"I would disagree," Ozpin cut in. "If you had a weapon you would have been placed at a major disadvantage." At the group's confused looks, he continued. "The reason you could keep up with an experienced hunter several times your age is because your weapons had no weight. Before you receive a physical weapon you will need to gain some muscle."

"I will start on that tomorrow then." Minato responded. Glynda exchanged a glance with Ozpin. Minato had been like this since the 'adoption.' He threw his entire effort into every task, never asking to slow down. Others would have praised him for his self-motivation, but they saw it differently. The poor boy worked himself to exhaustion, his mind shutting down every night as he attempted to recover. It was almost as if he was intentionally trying to avoid thinking about certain things. He needed an outlet aside from training or he would be feeling the after effects.

"No, you will be taking a break," Ozpin corrected. "You can't believe I would work you to the bone without giving you time to recover. You will be accompanying Qrow tomorrow." He continued gesturing to the still smirking Qrow. Taking it as a sign to explain, Qrow stepped forward.

"I will be visiting my nieces in Patch tomorrow. They don't have too many friends cause their home in secluded in the woods. I thought it would be nice of you to come along. Get to know some kids your age." Minato frowned and opened his mouth to decline the invitation until Qrow continued. "Their mother passed away not too long ago as well. I thought maybe you could give them support." Minato's voice died in his throat. To be fair he had lost two pairs of parents, but he had also lived much longer.

"All right I suppose it couldn't hurt." Minato muttered.

"Then that settles it." Qrow smiled. "Be sure to get to bed, we leave early."

-Ω-

Minato watched as the scenery passed by from the car window. The grand school of Signal slowly crawled closer.

"Sorry about leaving you, but like I said I have business." Qrow said again. "I have to talk with a few of the professors."

"I am just surprised that you're a teacher here." Minato shot back. "Do they usually let drunks teach at children's schools?" Minato received a sharp jab for his humor.

"I am not on the normal roster for teachers. I am called in from time to time to help students train or if there is a special case." Qrow informed. "My niece's father, or brother in law, is one of the teachers I need to speak to." The car slowed to a stop in front of the academy and Qrow popped open his door. "The driver will drop you off at their house and come back for me. I called ahead and the girls should have been informed that you are coming. The meetings will take a couple of hours or so. I will be there once they are over."

"All right I will see you there then." Minato nodded. Qrow move to close his door, but opened it wide once more.

"One last thing," Qrow said as he poked his head back in with narrowed eyes. "If you lay a finger on either of my nieces, no shadow on Remnant will be able to stop my blade from coming to you. Do I make myself clear?" Minato cocked an eyebrow not really threatened by Qrow's demeanor. While he was mentally mature for such thoughts, he was sure that a five-year-old girl wouldn't catch his interests.

"You do realize I am five, right?" Minato questioned as Qrow drew back slightly.

"Yeah, but you still knew what I was talking about, didn't you?" With one last look Qrow shut the door and watched the vehicle drive away until it was out of sight. A smirk broke out onto his face, he loved messing with the kid. Except for that part about his nieces. If so much as a hair was touched, he would be having some words with Minato. Qrow strolled into the academy taking in the familiar sights and sounds. He had come around noon, so the school was rather active. He slipped past a group of students as he made his way to the teacher's lounge. Cracking open the door he was met with stares of several teachers including Taiyang Xiao Long.

"Qrow, you came!" Taiyang stood and greeted him with a firm handshake. Other professors called out their own greetings and Qrow responded in turn. He relaxed in a seat next to Taiyang, who offered him coffee.

"Hopefully these meeting don't take too long." Qrow grumbled taking the cup from Taiyang. "I hope Minato doesn't screw anything up with Yang and Ruby."

"Who?" Taiyang asked hearing his daughters' names.

"Minato," Qrow repeated. "You know the kid I told you was coming with me to visit. I sent him ahead because there would be no point for him to wait through these meetings." As Qrow finished his statement Taiyang snapped his fingers.

"That's right, I forgot about him. I told the girls you were going to visit later but I forgot to tell them about the new boy."

"It's not that big of a deal. I am sure he will be able to convince Yang to let him in if he mentions my name." Qrow shrugged. Really what was the worst that could happen?

-Ω-

"Hello?" Minato called out, but he received no response. The driver had dropped him off near a cabin in the woods and left several minutes ago. He had tried the doorbell a few times, but no one had responded. "Hello?!" He called out with more volume, but only his echo answered him. They had been informed he was coming right? The lights were all out when he tried to peek into the windows and he didn't hear any movement within the house. Odd, if Qrow's nieces were his age they would certainly be awake by now. He moved to knock on the door and was surprised as it swung inward without resistance.

"Hello?" Minato called a third time, but still no greeting was heard. He slowly walked into the dark house. He felt the wall and soon flipped on the switch. As the light flicked on it revealed a relatively normal home. Pictures line the walls with smiling face and the counters were filled with knickknacks and other treasured items. Minato noticed that the corner was filled with miscellaneous toys and dolls. The only question was where the girls were. It was only then that Minato noticed the paper on the table. He quickly picked it up, reading the messy scrawl of words across the paper.

OuT fOr a BiT

-yAnG

That would explain why they weren't here, but told Minato nothing of where they went and for how long. Beside the message was another picture. It seemed to be of a building and Minato picked it up out of curiosity. Maybe they had gone there? He flipped over the picture and was surprised to see an address written on the back. A few minutes of searching for a map later gave the location of said building. The location was nowhere near the house. It would take hours to reach it especially by walking. After a quick look around the house, Minato confirmed that he was the only one within the house. If the girls had simply left for somewhere close by and came back, they would wonder where he was. If they had gone out to this place, they would be getting into more trouble than they bargained for. Grimm were always a constant threat after all. Thus he was stuck with a decision. Wait here and hope they returned or see if he could find them. He sighed to himself as he slipped out the door. He would feel embarrassed if he went on a wild goose chase, but he would regret it far more if he had sat by and did nothing when the two were in danger.

-Ω-

It had been hours since she had left her home behind. Yang sighed as the wagon got stuck in another pot hole on the dirt road. She grunted and pulled the wagon free. Her arms felt like lead weights and her legs felt like putty. She felt hot and sticky from the day's heat and the blisters on her feet weren't helping. Ruby had woken up about an hour ago but drifted back off to sleep after being convinced that Yang was taking her on a field trip. Still this was to see her mother, her real mother. Forcing one foot in front of the other Yang ventured on. Nothing would stop her now. She had hoped to be back long before her uncle showed up, but she had greatly underestimated the distance. How was she supposed to know that twenty miles was this long? The wagon wheel awkwardly bumped over a rock and Ruby awoke.

"Yang… where are we?" Ruby asked voice slurred with sleep.

"Go back to sleep," Yang panted. "We are almost there." The last thing she needed was to waste her breath lying to her younger sister.

"Does dad know where we are?" Ruby questioned looking around at the dreary scenery.

"Don't worry I left behind a note." Yang assured as she dragged the wagon ever closer to their destination. Just one more turn and it should be in sight.

"I want to go home," Ruby's voice wavered. "I don't like it here, it's scary." She made a move and leapt out of the wagon, but Yang rushed to her side.

"Just stay in there for a minute. We just need to get to the end and we can turn around, all right?" Yang coerced giving Ruby a small smile. The young girl gave her sister a confused look, but got back into the wagon.

"Ok, but let's not stay for too long." Ruby begged as Yang began to move forward again. The pair slowly made their way around a corner and their destination came into sight. The decrypt house loomed before them. Yang used the last of her energy and heaved the wagon forward. They stopped a few steps before the building and gazed upon it.

"We- we made it." Yang exclaimed hands on her knees. She was breathing hard but they had made it.

"Where are we?" Ruby asked her exhausted sister, but Yang ignored her in favor of looking at their accomplishment. Maybe this had some sort of clue, some hint of her mother. She would need a bit of time to get her strength back but then she could explore the building. Her plans were derailed from the growl that emanated from the doorway. She looked up as Ruby gave a sharp cry. Red eyes pierced the darkness from inside the building. First one pair then another and finally a third pair came into view. Yang could barely move much less run away from the looming threat.

"Ruby, you need to run." Yang whispered. "I will distract them." Although she said that, her legs stood still locked in place by the burning gazed of the Grimm.

"Yang," Ruby whimpered. "What do we do?" Yang wished she could have answered her. To convince her that they were safe and happy, like the days when their mother was still alive. But even Ruby at her young age was well aware of the truth of the matter. They were going to die and not matter how loudly they cried, their mother would not save them. The first of the Grimm emerged into the light, revealing it to be a beowolf. It howled and charged, crossing the distance between them at a frightening speed. Yang squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the incoming claws and teeth. She felt a flurry of wind as something passed her and a howl from the Grimm. She assumed it had attacked Ruby instead of her, but Ruby's crying was still quite audible. Taking a chance, she peeked through her eyes and saw a boy with blue hair before her. In his hand he held what seemed to be a black sword. The Grimm that had charged was on the ground, growling in pain before the boy brought his sword down and struck the beast.

"Are you both all right?" The boy sent a look back, his piercing silver eyes focusing on each of them before facing the Grimm again. "Relax, I will take care of them." Black particles rose from the ground and swirled around like an angry horde of bees, before converging into the shape of another blade. Without another word, the boy charged at the Grimm who responded in kind. Yang wanted to yell to him, but her exhaustion prevented her. He was going to kill himself if he attacked two Grimm at once. However, her previous predictions fell through as the two beasts crashed into a wall of black particles. Using the momentary distraction to his advantage, the boy dropped the wall and sliced both swords into one beowolf. It howled and fell, disintegrating moments later. The other beowolf changed plans and decided to switch its focus onto Yang. It tore off, but was far too slow. A claw grasped its form and dragged it back to the boy. With a single motion the claw crushed the beowolf into dust. Yang stared in disbelief as the boy looked around for more enemies before returning to her.

"Are there anymore?" he asked head tilted to the side. Instead of responding Yang fainted, physical exhaustion catching up with her. Minato leap forward and caught her and grunted at her weight. Maybe the old wives' tale about unconscious people being heavier was true. He dragged her to the wagon where the girl he recognized as Ruby was still crying. He began to stroke her hair in attempt to quiet her cries.

"W-who are you?" Ruby sniffled. The tears still trickling down her cheeks.

"I am Minato, a…friend of your uncle." Minato responded in what he hoped a calming tone was. Ruby looked unconvinced, but her attention was drawn to her sister on Minato's back.

"Yang! Is she ok?" Ruby panicked but Minato held up his hand.

"She is just exhausted," Minato assured her. "Can you help me place her in the wagon? She is pretty heavy." Working together the two managed to place the unconscious girl into the wagon. Ruby looked back to Minato clearly concerned.

"How are we going to get back home in time? Isn't it almost dark?" Her words held true as the sun dipped below the horizon. The dark was much more dangerous and Minato was unsure if he could defend the two as well as walk the twenty miles back dragging a wagon behind him. Maybe it would be safer to spend the night in the broken house than walk back. Minato's silence only provided Ruby with more distress and she broke down into another fit of cries. She crashed into him then, looking for comfort. His arm encircled her and he tried to best to calm her despite his own worries.

"I thought I told you not to lay a finger on them, but I guess I can let this one slide." Minato had never been so thankful to hear Qrow's annoyingly smug voice as then. Upon seeing her uncle, Ruby rushed from Minato's arms into her uncle's embrace. A few minutes later a car came speeding down the path and out hopped a blond man Minato had seen in the pictures around the house. He assumed it to be Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang and Ruby's father. He rushed to the wagon and checked over Yang before moving to Qrow and snatching up his other daughter into a crushing hug.

"Looks like I owe you one." Minato's attention was drawn from the heartwarming scene to Qrow who sauntered up next to him. "The meeting dragged on for longer than we anticipated. If it hadn't been for you…" He trailed off starting at both of his nieces.

"I am just glad they are safe." Minato responded. "If I had hesitated any longer at the house, it wouldn't have ended well." Qrow gave a small laugh.

"Ozpin told me you didn't take praise well. Still for what it's worth…Thanks." Minato only nodded and turned his attention back to the father and his two daughters. The ride home was relatively quiet as they did not want to wake the sleeping girls. This of course did not save Minato from the onslaught of thanks that Taiyang passed his way. The man truly worried for his daughters and Minato assured him he was just happy to help. By the time they returned to the house, the sun had set and the last boat back to Vale had long set sail. Taiyang urged them to stay the night and after a small argument Qrow was forced to take the floor allowing Minato to take the couch. Dinner was served to the guests which Minato had been extremely thankful for as he has not eaten all day. Minato had fallen asleep instantly after that but awoke in the middle of the night due to some noise. He opened his eyes to find Qrow sitting in front of the fire place. He watched the firelight flicker across his face for a moment before Qrow turned to him noticing the boy had woken up.

"Thanks again." Minato rolled his eyes at the gesture.

"I have already said that I don't need any more thanks." Minato muttered back. "If you give me too much, I will begin to think that you don't mean it." Qrow's gaze shifted back to the fire before he began to speak.

"If you saw any of the pictures around the house you saw their family. Tailong and his wife Summer with Yang and Ruby. However… it doesn't take a genius to notice the differences between Yang and Summer." Minato's eyes glanced to a nearby photo. While Summer's hair was short and smooth much like Ruby's, Yang's came down in long messy locks. "Taiyang had another woman as his wife before Summer," Qrow continued withdrawing an old photo from his wallet. There a stunning woman with black tresses stood beside Qrow and Taiyang. "Her name was Raven, and she is my sister." Qrow stopped here looking for the words to say.

"What happened to her?" Minato asked filling the silence. It was quite clear that she was not part of the family anymore.

"She disappeared. She was here one day and gone the next." Qrow responded with a rough undertone. "Taiyang almost fell apart from that, but Summer was there to help him through it. They eventually got together and had Ruby. Then… well you know the rest." Minato nodded in silent agreement. No need to repeat the tragedy. "His children are all that Taiyang has left. He is doing everything he can to keep them safe. If he had lost them here today… I don't know what would have happened." Qrow looked deep into Minato eyes. "I am not only thanking you for saving my nieces, but for my teammate as well." He stood up and gave Minato one last smile. "Get some sleep kid, we are headed back to the main land tomorrow."

-Ω-

Breakfast was a quiet affair as the only ones awake were Qrow, Taiyang and Minato. Ruby and Yang were apparently sleeping off yesterday's fatigue. Breakfast ended peacefully and Minato and Qrow prepared to leave.

"Sorry you couldn't really spend time with my daughters." Taiyang apologized. "I guess the idea of getting them a new friend kind of fell through."

"I am sorry too. They seem like nice girls. Hopefully I will have a chance to meet them properly." Minato responded. They exchanged their final farewells and they turned to the waiting car.

"Wait!" A call from the doorway stopped them from leaving. A young girl holding a hood rushed out from the house. She stopped before the two men staring at them imploringly. "You just got here, why are you leaving so soon?"

"What can I say squirt? Duty calls." Qrow laughed ruffling Ruby's hair. "I will be back when I get another break." Ruby just nodded in understanding, but to Minato's surprise looked to him with the same pleading eyes.

"Can you stay at least?" Minato shook his head and winced at the pure sadness that entered her expression at his response.

"I have to get back to Vale. I can't fall behind on my training." Ruby seemed to accept his answer for a moment before speaking again.

"You'll come back to visit?" Ruby asked holding her cape tightly in her arms. Minato glanced to Taiyang who gave a wide smile and nod urging him to accept her invitation. He gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, the next time I have the chance I will be sure to swing by." The smile that Ruby gave him could have lit up a room. With that the young girl returned to her father's side and joined him in seeing them off. As the two piled into the vehicle, Qrow leaned over to Minato.

"Did you really mean that you would visit them the next chance you got?" he questioned as the car pulled away.

"I wouldn't mind it." Minato confirmed. "It will be nice have some friends that I can meet every now and then.

"Good, then I will talk with Ozpin. Maybe I can get you a week of vacation. It would certainly put my mind at ease having you keep an eye on them." Minato only shrugged and returned his view to the scenery outside as it scrolled past. Although it was not the most relaxing break it had been a fulfilling one. Hopefully his next one would be a lot more relaxing.

-Ω-

I decided to celebrate the release of RWBY Season 4 with a chapter of my own. Don't get used to it though as I will be moving back to my normal schedule. If any one is wondering about where I got the names of the towns Scorch, Ion and NorthStar, they are all Titan names from upcoming game Titanfall 2.

A huge thank you to my beta Mingyu for his last second read of this as well as my other editors who read these at the last second.

Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed or reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	4. Forest of Woe

It had been seventeen years since he had been reborn into the world or Remnant. His days of training and practice with Ozpin and Glynda had been replaced by his attendance at the illustrious Signal Academy, not that it was his only choice. Minato had had several schools available to him. Flare, Lantern, and Watchtower were all known for their adequate training and were all on the mainland as opposed to Signal which resided on Patch. The proposal to attend Signal had been made by Taiyang, who suggested going to school with friends rather than alone. Once Qrow had heard of this he had egged Minato on until he accepted. Not that he minded. The school was exemplary in both studies and combat tactics. If Minato wanted to become a huntsman, Signal was an excellent place to start. Weapon creation was also an added bonus. He had attended along with Yang and instead of staying in the school's dorms was invited to stay with Taiyang's family (to Ruby's delight.)

Staying with the family had been an interesting experience. He had never had siblings and spending time with Ruby and Yang had been enjoyable. The feeling of being tackled in the morning to wake up was something he could live without however. Both of the sisters had their quirks. Ruby would eat cookies faster than Minato could see and Yang has this…thing with her hair. Regardless the four years he spent with them was more like a family that he could have hoped for. However, time marched on and it was time for him to attend Beacon. The heartbreak on Ruby's face was clear as he left. He would no longer return to their home as he would spend the next four years in the dorms of Beacon. He would see her for vacations and holiday breaks, but their time together would be limited until she entered school two years later. Which is why Minato was heavily surprised when he got a call on his scroll.

"What do you mean you got into Beacon?" Minato asked. "I mean how? Who? What?"

"Professor Ozpin invited me!" Ruby chirped from the screen. "I was in Vale and helped stop a dust robbery. You should have seen me! I was like Hiyaa! And the villains were like Noo! Please don't hurt us! And I…" Minato ignored the rest of Ruby's colorful retelling to send a dirty look at Ozpin who was hiding his smile behind his signature coffee mug. They had been reviewing some battle strategies when the call had come.

"You could have said something." Minato glared. Ozpin only chuckled at Minato's heated look.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. You looked so disappointed when you left their home, I thought that inviting Ruby to the school would cheer you up." Minato only frowned.

"You didn't invite her just on the grounds of cheering me up, right?" Ozpin shook his head quickly denying the claim.

"I am not a fool Minato. I wouldn't have invited that young girl unless I thought she was absolutely ready to attend Beacon." He took another sip of his steaming beverage. "Even if you had never met her I still would have invited her, she showed magnificent skills on that night. I felt it would have been a waste to keep her from growing into her true potential." Minato would have kept up that line of questioning if not for Ruby's calls from the scroll.

"And then Ozpin said I could attend Beacon academy! Can you believe it Minato?! I get to go to school with you and Yang!" Ruby finished with a squeal of delight. Minato sighed but was unable to keep a smile off his face. Ruby's cheeriness was infectious.

"I will be glad to see you at Beacon then. Tell you what, when you and Yang arrive I can give you a tour." Minato offered to the ecstatic nods of Ruby.

"This is going to be the best! Yang, you and me are going to have a blast and-" Ruby's rant was cut off from Yang's voice in the background calling her.

"Ruby, get off the phone with your boyfriend and come downstairs! It's time for dinner!" Crimson spread across her face and in seconds she could have put the red on her cloak to shame.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She yelled back, before frantically turning back to the screen. "Not that I wouldn't mind you being my boyfriend. I mean-!" Minato took pity on the poor girl before she could dig herself a deeper hole.

"Why don't you head down for dinner and tell Yang I said hi? I will see you two in a week." Minato suggested to the young girl, who happily took his advice. Ruby had adored him since he had saved her life. While Yang and her father looked to him with a healthy amount of appreciation, Ruby looked to him like some kind of hero from a story book. It had been adorable when he visited, she had rushed to him and thrust a story book into his hands or asked him to play with her. Said adoration had turned into a slight crush… well slightly obvious crush. Minato was sure it would fade in time, so he let it play out.

The week before school flew by and finally it was the day of the arrival for new students. In the end, Minato decided to wait for Yang and Ruby at the docking point. Unfortunately, there were several ships carrying the new students and Minato had no idea which one Ruby and Yang were arriving one. He would have used his scroll to call Taiyang, but the man was probably teaching. Thus, he was stuck waiting at the docks for students to arrive. As the first shipped slowly docked, Minato scanned the windows in hopes of seeing an acquaintance. As the doors to the ship opened a friend caught his attention, though not the one he was expecting.

"Hey Nazo!" The black-haired student causally turned around and as his blue eyes locked on Minato he gave a smile and a wave. Nazo Gwynt, was synonymous with one phrase, free as the wind. He was easy going, never taking things too seriously. Minato and Yang had first met him at Signal. He was easy to get along with and soon they all became friends. He was known for avoiding verbal conflicts if possible, cracking jokes or simply changing the subject. Not to say he wasn't a fighter. He had attended Signal after all.

"Nice to see you again Minato," Nazo greet giving a lazy salute. "You waiting here for 'sunshine'?" He asked referencing Yang by her school nickname.

"Waiting for Yang and Ruby actually." Minato revealed causing Nazo to raise his eyebrow.

"Ruby's a bit young to be attending Beacon don't you think?" Nazo asked slowly. Minato took the opportunity to explain the unique circumstance surrounding their youngest friend. "Well I certainly can't say I expected that." Nazo exclaimed with a laugh. "Still are you sure you want to wait for them? I heard the next ship won't be here for another hour or two." Minato flinched. He hadn't expected that.

"Well I suppose I can give you a quick tour until the next ship arrives." Even if he was a few minutes late, what was the worst that could happen?

-Ω-

Ruby's first few minutes at Beacon was not the most pleasant. Not only had Minato been missing from the docks, her sister had run off with her other friends leaving her alone and confused. To make matters worse, she had accidently bumped into another girl's luggage. Said girl had gone on a tirade, causing Ruby to sneeze and cause a giant explosion.

"This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" The girl yelled.

"I am really really sorry!" Ruby apologized again trying to calm the girl's rage. The effect was lackluster as the girl continued her assault.

"You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?!" Ruby's answer was cut off as other person enter the conversation.

"She said she was sorry, so back off already!" Ruby and the girl in white turned to see two more girls. One was dressed in black reading a book. She had long black hair spilling down her back, with a small black bow on her head. The one who had spoken however was a silver haired girl with wolf ears poking out. A silver tail swayed back and forth behind her.

"Excuse me, who are you supposed to be?" The white dress girl commented.

"I could ask you the same thing!" The silver-haired Faunus bit back.

"She is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company." This time the black-haired girl spoke up, not even sparing a glance from her book.

"Finally, some recognition, though I can see why you wouldn't know of me, Faunus." The last word was spat with more venom than Ruby thought possible. The silver hair girl's face switched to a snarl. However, before she could act, the black hair girl butted in.

"Kira, she isn't worth being thrown out of school for. Just leave her be." Kira gave a sharp huff and walked away, quickly followed by the book loving girl. Weiss left as well leaving Ruby alone once more. She wasn't sure if it was a step forward or step backward. Ruby collapsed on the ground with a sigh.

"Welcome to Beacon…" She felt terrible, this wasn't what she had imagined her entrance into the school would be.

"You sure know how to make an entrance. We heard the explosion from halfway across campus." Ruby wearily looked up and a smile broke onto her face.

"Nazo, Minato!" Ruby exclaimed leaping up from her position on the ground. Normally she would have been angry that they hadn't arrived on time, but she was just happy to meet someone she knew. Nazo gave her a wave as greeting, but Minato was looking elsewhere. She looked in that direction, and realized that the two girls from before we in the distance, getting further with each step.

"Earth to Minato, you still with us?" Nazo asked lightly snapping his fingers. That seemed to wake Minato from his daze.

"Sorry, I just thought… no never mind. Sorry for being distracted." Ruby and Nazo exchanged a concerned look, regardless of Minato insisting that it was nothing. Seeing their concerned look, Minato changed the subject. "We still have some time before the opening ceremony You still up for that tour of the school?" Ruby nodded.

"You mind if I tag along too?" The three turned to find a blonde-haired boy awkwardly waving at them.

"And you are…?" Nazo trailed off.

"Jaune Arc," The boy introduced. "Short, sweet, rolled off the tongue, ladies love it." His introduction was ruined when Ruby burst out laughing.

"Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?" Her statement was followed by laughter from Nazo, a smirk by Minato and mortification from Jaune. Still, it broke the ice and Minato lead the three on a tour of the campus in the limited time they had until the opening ceremony. Perhaps her first day wasn't going to be so bad.

-Ω-

"Kira, stop fidgeting." Blake hissed from beside her. They were currently waiting for the headmaster to make his address and Kira's tail wouldn't stop twitching.

"Sorry," Kira apologized trying to control herself. "I'm just not used to being surrounded by so many people." Blake shot her a comforting look. They had been in the White Fang together. Blake had joined due to her parents and Kira had joined after certain… circumstances. The two were complete opposites. Kira was loud, brash and lost her temper more often than not. Blake was quiet, reserved and more interested in books than others. One displayed her Faunus traits proudly, the other hid beneath a bow. Still Blake considered Kira to be the sister she never had. They had been together through thick and thin. They had even left the white fang together, after seeing their true selves. That being said, they did butt heads from time to time. Kira's abrasive attitude had caused Blake endless headaches and Blake's silent nature had made making new friends difficult. Regardless they would stay together, supporting each other when they could.

"I'll keep this brief." The pair's attention was drawn to the front as the headmaster began. As promised his speech was brief and slightly puzzling. Blake could see Kira scowl when the headmaster had said he saw 'wasted potential.' After he had said his piece a woman had given them their directions for the remainder for the day and for the following. They were then dismissed, able to do what they wanted until curfew was called.

"We finally have some free time!" Kira exclaimed. "What do you want to do? Explore campus? Head into town?" Blake's only response was to hold up the book she was currently reading. Kira ears drooped, "Che…you're no fun. This is why we don't meet new people. You're always reading books." A roll of the eyes told Kira what Blake thought about her opinion. "Fine, you can sit in a corner all day and read your books, I'm going to have a look around."

"Don't go too far." Blake said absently, turning another page of her book. Kira responded in the most adult like manner available to her. She stuck out her tongue. With a laugh she left the auditorium, intent on getting something done or at least finding something interesting.

"Minato, where are the dorms?" A conversation drifted past on the wind, Kira's ears perking up.

"I already told you. They are on the far side of campus, we are not walking that far just to see a building." A voice responded. It sounded vaguely familiar, yet distinctly different. Unable to contain her curiosity, she followed the voices and as she turned corner she froze. Before her, a group was chatting amiably with each other. She distantly recognized the red head as the one she had seen earlier that day. Beside her a buxom blond was elbowing a black-haired boy. However, her vision centered in on the last boy in particular. His blue haired shifted gently in the wind, and his silver eyes were alight with mirth. She was already moving before she realized who he was. Kira went from a walk to a run to an all-out sprint in matter of seconds. She slammed into him, her first and most precious friend, arms around him in a tight hold. He stumbles under her force, those around him jumping surprise.

"You're alive!" Kira cried, only realizing that tears were spilling from her eyes when she felt the dampness of his shirt. "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive." She repeated it like a mantra afraid that if she stopped for a second, he would disappear. She only stopped when Minato's arm reached around her and returned the hug.

"Kira, I thought you were…" Minato cut himself off, pulling her closer. "Never mind that, it's good to see you again." His warm tenor is stark contrast with sharp alto that she remembered so fondly. She eventually pulled back, her smile wavering.

"Why didn't you contact me? Not a single message or anything telling me you were alive." Kira accused, a scowl forming on her lips.

"You don't think I tried?" Minato defended. "I read the list of the survivors from Ion. Both your name and Cinder's were absent. I even sent in an inquiry about your whereabouts to the other villagers and they all said that you had disappeared with your mother into the woods. No one had seen you since." He explained. "What else did you want me to do? Search the entirety of the woods between Ion and Scorch?" Their argument was interrupted as the blond cleared her throat.

"Minato, I don't think you introduced us to your friend here." Minato sent her a weary look, but acquiesced.

"Kira, this is Yang, Ruby and Nazo." Pointing to the three in turn. "Guys this is Kira, she is the girl I told you about. I lost contact with her after…" he trailed off, unwilling to continue. The group quickly grasped what Minato meant and decided hurry on.

"Nice to meet you Kira," Ruby chirped. "Thanks for helping me out earlier today." Kira frowned until she recalled standing up for the young girl earlier that day.

"Oh, you're welcome," Kira laughed. "That other girl was a bit too high strung."

"They let's hope you don't end up on the same team as her," Minato said conversationally.

"Team? We have to form teams at this school?" Kira's question was met with a flat stare.

"Of course, all hunters and huntresses are placed on teams of four," Nazo spoke up. "Teams not only provide extra safety to each individual member, but help cohesion over all. More often than not Hunters from across the continent will be called together to fight as one group. Taking each mission as an individual could end up with failure and even death."

"Two in harmony, surpass one in perfection," Minato quoted. "As long as you can work with your team members you should be able to achieve greater heights." Kira nodded along with the information.

"Then are you four already on a team?" She asked cautiously, though her thoughts were obvious from the look of her sagging tail.

"No, teams are officially assigned tomorrow," Yang replied, cheering Kira up. "Speaking of which, Minato you have any inside information you're willing to share?"

"No, Ozpin was secretive this year seeing as I was going to be attending," Minato admitted. "Though I am confident it will be in the Emerald Forest like every year."

"What are some past examples?" Ruby asked, hoping at least for some hint.

"One year they paired up before heading into the forest and they were told to defeat ten Grimm. They were graded by their performance and placed onto teams accordingly." Minato explained. "Another year, everyone was given a playing card. You needed to find a partner who had the same color but different suit, and then find another pair who had cards of a different color. Once you formed your team you had to make it back to the start. If your card was damaged, you were disqualified. I don't think too many people passed that year…" Minato trailed off with a wince.

"That doesn't inspire confidence," Kira muttered. "It sounds like we are all going to fail."

"I wouldn't say that," Nazo countered. "These tested are designed to be difficult but passable. If all they designed were impossible tests, no one would be able to enter the school."

"Oh that's right, there is one more thing," Minato exclaimed snapping his fingers. The others leaned in, intent on hearing what he had to say. "Make sure you know your landing strategy."

-Ω-

Weiss groaned as another round of hushed laughter met her weary ears. Didn't they get the memo? They had their initiation test tomorrow. They were supposed to be asleep. She glared daggers across the room at the source of the noise. A small group had gathered under candlelight. The clumsy girl from earlier was there as well as that one Faunus. Their group also consisted of two more males and two females.

"So by this time, Minato had eaten half of Ruby's cookies," the buxom blond continued. "And she went completely berserk." Her retelling earned her some laughter from the Faunus.

"Hypocrite!" The red-haired girl exclaimed. "I didn't go berserk! If you want to hear about berserk I would bring up the hair cut incident." The volume continued to rise and Weiss tears off her covers and marches over.

"Would you all just shut up?" Weiss hissed as she reached them. "Some of us are trying to get some sleep for tomorrow." She was met with six pairs of eyes. Two hostile glares and three curious looks. However, the last pair was the one that gave her chills. The boy had piercing silver eyes. He didn't look at her, he examined her, like a bug beneath a microscope. The look was so distracting that she almost missed his next words.

"Weiss Schnee, correct?"

"Yes, I see you are well informed." She managed to stutter back.

"Not particularly," The silver eyed boy responded. Then his gaze was off her and was he looked back to the group. "I will have to agree is Ms. Schnee here. Whatever the test is, it won't be easy. We should get all the rest we can." The boy bid them good night and soon the group dispersed leaving Weiss alone. She suppressed the chill as she remembered those eyes. Perhaps she needed rest more than she thought. With that in mind she immediately went to bed, trying to keep her mind on other things.

-Ω-

Jaune was screwed, completely and utterly screwed. Not only was the headmaster sending his potential students into a dangerous, potentially deadly forest. He was launching them in. He was worried enough about the Grimm, but at this rate he was sure he would be alive to face one. He nervously looked down the line of students. Most held a calm expression, as if they were prepared for it. Hell, some looked like they had expected it. Thus, Jaune could only await his fate as the students were sent into the forest one by one.

"Is something wrong young man?" Jaune looked to the Glynda who was giving him a concerned look. "You look nervous. I assure you this in one of the easier tests that has been designed. It shouldn't hold anything that would be too dangerous." Jaune returned a pained smile.

"I really don't have a landing strategy in place." He replied weakly. Instead of concern the headmaster gave a small laugh.

"Then now would be an excellent time to plan one, you are next after all." Jaune gave a worried look to his left only to realize that he was the last one there. Then he heard the spring click beneath him and he felt himself being launched. He couldn't hold himself back as a scream escaped his throat. The scenery would have looked nice it the threat of death wasn't so close. A rifle sounded off in the distance and, to Jaune's surprise, a javelin soared through the air and stuck him to a tree. He hung for a moment as he processed what had happened. It seemed that Pyrrha had saved his life.

"Thank you!" He yelled out in hopes of reaching her. Seconds later she shouted back her apologies. Jaune only laughed. She had saved his life, there was nothing to apologize for. He relaxed, well tried to at least. It would be a while till Pyrrha arrived to help him down.

-Ω-

The phrase 'hit the ground running' usually refers to beginning a project quickly or seizing an opportunity. In this case Ruby, she hit the ground running, literally and metaphorically. She knew a total of four people at this school, Yang, Minato, Kira and Nazo. If she pushed it, she could potentially include Jaune. More than twenty students had been launched, so that put the chance of finding a friend in 1 out of 5. She needed to find someone she knew and fast, otherwise she would be stuck with a stranger. Bushes rustled and she slowed to a stop in the clearing.

"Hello?" She asked timidly. Her response was several roars as a herd of beowolves entered the clearing. Without hesitation, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and held her Scythe at the ready. She really didn't have time for this. With her semblance, she shot forward to the first beowolf. She spun effectively cleaving the Grimm in two causing it to fade to dust. A second and third charged her, but they were dispatched just as quickly. The pack growled and surround Ruby, but she remained unconcerned. She had faced far worse. The Grimm fell one by one until only the last beowolf stared back it her, its red eye pulsing. It attacked in one last attempt to kill her, but was forced to stop short. Its head was smashed into the ground as Minato leap down from above. With two shadow swords, he beheaded the Grimm and it faded.

"Nice to see you, Ruby." He gave a small smile and a wave. "You wouldn't happen to need a partner, would you?" His response was Ruby crashing into him with a hug.

"I was so worried I wouldn't find anyone!" Ruby exclaimed and Minato gave a small chuckle. He allowed his semblance to fade and returned the gesture before separating.

"Why are you using your semblance instead of your weapons?" Ruby asked gesturing to his back.

"It was faster to use my shadows," Minato easily explained. "Besides using my weapons would mean I would have to perform maintenance later. I am not a weapon junky like you." Ruby just spat out her tongue playfully. "Regardless, now that we completed the first requirement, let's head to the north end of the forest. We need to track down whatever Ozpin meant by relics."

"Do you know which way North is?" Ruby asked only for Minato to roll his eyes.

"It is basic knowledge. We are in the northern hemisphere, so at noon the sun should be slightly south of us." He pointed to the sun which was to his left. "Therefore, we need to head right if we want to go north. Beside this forest isn't that complex, how could you get lost in it?"

-Ω-

"We should go this way…no this way, definitely this way …" Weiss paced back and forth. She was a Schnee for god's sake. She could do this. "It's official, we must have past it." She concluded with a huff.

"Or we could just go _north_ and find where the relics are," her partner growled, which was appropriate because he was a…

"Why should I listen to a Faunus?" Weiss snapped. It was just her luck getting a Faunus of all thinks as a partner. She would rather have been pair with anyone, even that girl from yesterday, than a Faunus.

"Because you clearly are lost!" He shot back. His green eyes narrowed the two black lines from his eyes highlighting his glare. Weiss distantly realized he was a cheetah Faunus, either that or he didn't know how to use eyeshadow. His blond hair was short but wild, enhancing his 'feral' look.

"I am not lost," Weiss huffed. "I simply needed to reorient myself and we will be going…" She looked up and the sun blinded her. She was definitely not going to walk with the sun on her face. "That way," pointing away from the sun.

"Finally, we are going the right way" The Faunus sighed as he leapt up from his seated position.

"I would rather have any other person as my partner, Faunus" Weiss sniped as she made her way through the undergrown.

"The name is Daryl, and trust me the feeling is mutual."

-Ω-

Blake tried to quietly navigate the forest. Key word being tried. If she were alone she would have had some degree of success. However, her partner was making things difficult.

"Blake," Kira whined. 'Do you even know where we are going? How much further?"

"We will get there when we get there," Blake sighed. She felt more like a parent to a bratty child than partners. However, Kira was the best choice. Blake wouldn't need to go through the awkward phase of her partner trying to start conversations. Kira already knew that Blake was quiet and respected that…for the most part.

"Blake, are you sure we didn't pass it already?"

"Kira, if you would be quiet for just a second-" The thumping of heavy footfalls cut her off. Blake and Kira looked back to where the sounds were echoing from. Eight red eyes stared back and Blake felt a chill run up her spine. One hairy leg emerged from the foliage followed by two poisons fangs and red beady eyes. Normal spiders were bad enough, but this… this was on a whole new level. The Arcamantula gave a screech and crawled closer.

"Run on my signal." Kira whispered slowly backing away from the beast.

"Wait, what's the signal?" Blake question was answered in the worst way possible. A fireball slammed into the Grimm's face and it began to writhe in pain.

"RUN!"

-Ω-

"RUN!" The words echoed out from the forest and Yang raised her brow in concern. Nazo and her had finally broken through and found the temple. It was lined in chess pieces and they had been discussing which one to grab.

"Sounds like someone is in trouble," she commented idly taking a look back to the leafy undergrowth.

"They are trained warriors, if they can't handle it then there isn't much we could do." Nazo shrugged. "Besides we are already at the temple. Let's just grab one of these and get out of here." He was interrupted as a flurry of rose petals burst out from the forest.

"Were you two the ones that were screaming?" Ruby asked as she skidded to a halt. Yang was about to ask her younger sister about her partner until Minato launched out of the woods using his shadows to soften his landing.

"Ruby, next time you sprint off at least give me a few seconds to catch up." He scolded. Ruby rubbed her head apologetically until more screaming was heard. The group watched as an Ursa burst out of the forest, a pink haired girl ridding it. She was followed by an Asian gentleman who emerged panting from the woods. More scream rendered the air as three figures fell from the sky. Weiss, Juane and a third boy that Ruby had not met. In the sky, a Nevermore began to circle.

"Great, getting out of here with a Nevermore tailing us is going to be tough." Nazo comment.

"I think that's the least of our worries." Ruby replied as sound of crunching trees approached them. It was only then did the group see Kira, Blake and Pyrrha sprint out of the forest with not one but two giant Grimm on their tails, a Deathstalker and a Arcamantula.

"You have got to be kidding me." Weiss gasped. "Can we seriously take on three of these things?"

"Technically we don't have to," Daryl responded. "We just need to get a relic and make it out alive."

"I think the probability of that is unlikely," Ren calmly assessed. "If we don't take these things down, they will chase us down."

"Besides," Nora laughed. "Where is the fun in running away?"

"Then each pair grab a statue and prepare for battle." Minato said snagging one of the pieces off the pedestal. "There are twelve of us. We will make three teams of four to fight the three Grimm. Any questions?" Everyone nodded and his directions were followed. Minato, Ruby, Yang and Nazo faced the Deathstalker. Blake, Kira, Ren and Nora versed the Arcamantula, leaving Pyrrha, Jaune, Weiss and Daryl against the Nevermore.

"Your priority is to survive!" Minato called out. "If you need help fall back and get another team to assist you! There is no shame in running away!" The group grimly nodded facing their respective opponents. With one last roar the three Grimm charged and the battle had started.

-Ω-

Waited through an entire season to get out the next chapter. Not sure if it was worth it in the end. Many of the characters that I was hoping they would touch on and flesh out were not even mentioned. In the end though I can't really complain, about the newest season. It did what it needed to and didn't overstay its welcome. Regardless, now that the newest season is over, I will restart to update this story on my rotation. Not sure that is a good idea with my recent sickness, but I suppose I will find out.

So, welcome back after four months. For those who know my other story, New Beginnings, will understand when I say that this writing style feels weird to me. I known how to write third person, but it feels off... especially having written in first person for a majority of the past few months. Hopefully I can get back into a rhythm.

As always a huge thank you my beta, Mingyu. I swear he pulls more all-nighters than I do.

As always thank you to everyone who favorited followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	5. Team Assignments

Minato stared down the Deathstalker with a critical eye. It was larger than the one he had killed previously. He had also been fueled by his silver eyes then, or so Qrow had told him. He lacked that advantage now but had three allies this time around. Hopefully they could achieve the same result here.

"The old Signal team is back together." Yang laughed reloading Ember Celica. "Though I guess Ruby is new. Since she was two grades lower."

"Yang, now is seriously not the time." Ruby shot back readying her scythe. "Any ideas?"

"Deathstalkers have a hard shell, making it impervious to most weapons," Nazo quickly recited, his usual cheer gone. "Weak points include its eyes and joints though I'm not sure if we can get close enough to exploit them." He withdrew his own weapon, an emerald colored rifle with a blade on the underbelly of the gun. In short, a gunblade. Minato was tempted to form swords with his semblance, but this wasn't a time to test his skills. With practiced swiftness he withdrew his pair of weapons. Just like in his old life, he had a sword and a gun. The sword was a deep black that glinted menacingly in the sunlight, while the gun was a pure silver that sparkled. Thanatos and Orpheus, the two parts that made up his soul.

"Ohh, Minato is actually using his weapons?" Yang declared in mock amazement. "What's the occasion?"

"Focus Yang," Minato scolded bring both weapons at the ready. His posture tightened, and his mind quickly began to compile a plan. Being the operations leader for SEES certainly helped expedite the process. "Ruby, Nazo, I want you two to use your speed and flank it," Minato quickly ordered. "Test its defenses and see if you can find any breaches." His eyes flickered over to the named individuals to who nodded their understanding. "Yang, we will be playing decoy to buy them time. Stay as far away as you can. Got it?" The yellowed-haired girl only gave him a smirk. Minato internally sighed, that would have to do. "Go!" With that final shout, the four of them rushed the giant scorpion. Ruby burst away in a flurry of petals and Nazo followed quickly after using his semblance of wind manipulation to enhance his movements.

The Deathstalker screeched as Minato began to fire and Yang soon joined sending a flurry of her own shots. As expected the attacks did little more than annoy the behemoth and with a snap of its claws it surged forward towards the pair. The beast stopped short as it was barraged with gun fire from behind. Ruby and Nazo were aiming at the golden stinger and the monster's joints but it had minimal effect. Still they had distracted the Grimm for a precious second and Minato intended to capitalize. He sprinted forward, crossing the distance between himself and the target in record time. With a shout Minato drove his blade straight into the creature's eye. It shrieked and began to thrash wildly, its stinger striking at when Minato stood. Without notice a shadow leapt up and blocked at the attack allowing Minato time to retreat. He slid to a halt next to Yang who looked just as frustrated as he felt.

"Its armor is too thick." Yang commented as the Deathstalker continued to writhe in pain before them. "Any other ideas?"

"Nothing comes to mind," Minato responded brain already in overdrive trying to formulate another plan.

"Can't you do your little fusion trick?" Yang asked shooting Minato a glare. "That might be able to break the shell and pierce through." Minato only shook his head.

"I only have enough dust for one shot," He clarified. "I am not risking it on a maybe. If only we could find a break in the armor, then I could take the shot."

"You need me to make a hole?" Minato sent Yang and a glance and from the telltale smirk on her face, he could tell he wouldn't like the plan. "Cover me." Without waiting for his answer Yang broke out into a sprint. Minato reacted immediately sprinting after the over-eager brawler.

"Cover her!" he yelled, and his other teammates sprang into action. Ruby began another round of bullets while Nazo sent a multitude of wind sickles. The attacks served their purpose and the Deathstalker turned allowing Yang a clear shot at the base of its tail. With a shout Yang's fist impacted the Grimm's armor and an explosion quickly followed thanks to Yang's gauntlet. Yang jumped back to examine her handy work. To her horror the exoskeleton had barely cracked, a small fissure the only evidence of her attack. The Deathstalker reacted quickly to the attack and flicked its tail sending the stunned girl flying like a rag doll. Minato sent out his shadow catching the unfortunate girl before she crashed.

"Did it work?!" Ruby shouted appearing next to Minato accompanied with rose petals.

"I made a crack, but I need more speed," Yang reported as she recovered. "That armor is a lot tougher than I thought."

"Fine, get to Nazo. He can give you the speed you need." Minato ordered. "I will be setting up. Ruby do what you can to help your sister." The pair nodded and rushed off leaving Minato alone. He allowed himself a calming breath before he began. He ejected his clip from Orpheus and replaced it with a clip containing only lightning dust and a single metal pellet. The cost to this attack was high but the damage output was unrivaled. Minato hit the switch on the hilt of his sword causing the blade portion of the sword to split. Using the gap, he slipped his gun between it locking it into place. When the gun was secure, the separated blades began to spin. A sharp whirring filled the air as the blades spun faster and faster. With a gentle squeeze of the trigger, the lighting dust began to flow latching onto the spinning blades. Finally, the two halves glowed blue, the metal saturated with electricity. There Minato waited for the perfect moment to fire his weapon, a miniature railgun.

As Ruby kept the Dealthstalker distracted Yang relayed the plan to Nazo who only shoot his head.

"This plan sounds beyond stupid and downright suicidal," He smirked giving his signature smile. "I love it, how can I help?" Yang internally laughed, leave it to Nazo to go along with any plan regardless of how crazy it sounded.

"I will be attacking the same place as last time, use your semblance to give me the best boost you got." Nazo's only response was a sharp salute and a smile. Yang quickly positioned herself and began running. It started like a light breeze then a gust and finally the force of a typhoon was pushing on her back, hurtling her at the target. Yang took it in stride and with a shout impacted the target with much more force than her previous attempt. She clicked the trigger in her gauntlet and the shell practically exploded, flakes scattering from the point if impact.

"Get out of the way!" Minato shouted as he aimed the buzzing gun. The sound was near deafening, but Minato held firm lining up the attack. With a flash of rose petals Ruby appeared beside Yang and dragged her away, Nazo quickly following suit. As soon as his teammates were a safe distance away he fired. The attack was over in an instant. The metal ball reaching the target in the blink of an eye. The bullet drilled through the Deathstalker's weak point and quickly shredded its way to the head. The Deathstalker gave a single shutter before dissolving. Minato lowered his weapon careful to avoid the immense heat it was giving off. He could distantly see Yang and Ruby celebrating their victory and Nazo was laughing. He sighed and refocused his attention to the others. Hopefully their battles were easier than his.

-Ω-

Weiss was overjoyed. She may have a degenerate Faunas as a partner and have been placed in the same group as the blond-haired dork Jaune, but that didn't matter in the slightest. She was in the same group as Pyrrha, THE Pyrrha Nikos. Their group was invincible!

"Umm, how are we going to hit that thing?" Jaune questioned as he looked to the soaring bird.

"With your weapons, of course," Weiss answered as if she was stating the obvious. It was only after she gave her other members a cursory glance did she realize the problem. While Pyrrha had a rifle, the other two had no long-range weapons. Jaune only had a simple sword and shield and the faunus had a Souba, a double-bladed katana. Both equally worthless against their airborne foe. Knowing those two they probably didn't have any long range capability.

"Pyrrha, what do you think?" Weiss called out as she watched the Nevermore circle overhead. "We have only half the firepower."

"We will have to try," the red-hair champion responded lifting her rifle. Weiss quickly complied and two send up a volley of magic and bullets. However, the effect was lackluster and the Nevermore reacted by sending down a hailstorm of feathers. The four leapt for cover as the sharp feathers impacted the ground. Jaune found him himself next to Weiss hiding for his life. Pyrrha and Daryl must have found cover elsewhere a the Nevermore ceased its volley.

"This isn't going to work." Jaune yelled. "All of us need to attack if we want to win this. We need that thing to be grounded."

"Oh, brilliant deduction genius," Weiss spat. "And how do you plan to do that?" Jaune didn't answer immediately, he closed his eyes for a moment. They were outmatched as long as the Nevermore was in the air, as both he and Daryl were useless. But why didn't Daryl have a long-range option? Jaune had taken the weapons passed down through the family but Daryl wasn't limited by that. That should mean he would have some sort of option to augment his abilities for a long-range fight. His eyes flickered open focusing on the other person hiding with him.

"Weiss, what is your partner's semblance?" Jaune asked suddenly. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped short when she realized she had never asked. She hadn't even cared. She was saved from embarrassment when Daryl answered.

"I have Gravity manipulation." He called from his source of cover, a rocky outcropping. "I can pull and push things, but I don't have close to enough strength to pluck that thing from the sky." That made sense. He could pull his targets to him and not have to worry about range, explaining his choice of weaponry. As he thought deeper an idea began to form in Jaune's head.

"Weiss, you have gravity dust, right?"

"Of course I do, but it's not going to be strong enough to drop that bird." She shot back looking at the levitating monster. "If it was closer then maybe, but right now-" She was cut off as Jaune retreated from cover.

"Jaune what are you doing?!" Pyrrha screamed watching the man run to his imminent death.

"I'll grab its attention! Weiss and Daryl, use gravity to ground it when it gets close enough!" Jaune shouted back making his way through the forest of feathers. With that last statement he turned his attention to the flying threat. "Hey, I'm talking to you! You think you're so tough come and get me!"

"That idiot is going to get himself killed!" Weiss shouted, but Daryl silenced her.

"He is giving us the chance we need," the cheetah Faunus reasoned. "When it divebombs him, it's be our job to drag it down." The screech from the sky gathered their attention as the Nevermore dove. As it gained speed it extended its razor claws intent on shredding Jaune to ribbons. Thankfully for the frightened boy Weiss was ready.

"NOW!" Weiss yelled activating her semblance forming a black glyph below the descending bird. Daryl followed suit causing the air to tremble from the amount of distortion. The bird crumpled to the ground screeching as it tried to fight the effects.

"Freeze it!" Jaune yelled and Weiss complied infusing ice dust into her glyph. Giant ice formation began to encase the bird and soon it was unable to move from the sheer force of the glacier on top of it.

"Charge!" Jaune gave the final command and the four huntsmen in training made their way to their fallen foe. Jaune stabbed his sword into the creature again and again trying to kill it. Daryl split his weapon into two katanas and slashed at the wings of the Nevermore looking for a weakness. It was Pyrrha that finally got the kill using her spear to drive the point deep through the monster's skull. With a final cry is dissolved into black mist and the group heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"Let's agree to never do something like that again." Jaune panted.

"What are you talking about?" Daryl countered. "This is what being a huntsman is about. We are going to have to do this a lot more." Jaune elected not to answer instead deciding to collapse on the ground and groaning in exhaustion.

"We all did a great job," Pyrrha congratulated. "I wouldn't be surprised if we all passed due to our efforts." Weiss gave a small huff in agreement. For the amount of effort she put in she deserved extra credit.

-Ω-

Blake was relatively sure that she had gotten the short end of the stick. Not only did she have Kira on her makeshift team, but she also had Nora. Kira was energetic enough to make her feel exhausted, Nora took that feeling and multiplied it by one hundred.

"We should squash it like a bug!" Nora cheered looking at the Arcamantula a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"No, we should burn it to a crisp!" Kira quickly added her opinion which only seemed to fuel the metaphorical fire.

"I like the way you think!" Nora cackled gripping her war hammer tighter. "What are we waiting for? Let's do this!" Thankfully for the risk-taking duo, and Blake's sanity, a third voice entered the fray.

"Before either of you do anything we need a plan." Ren stated with a note of finality. Nora froze in place sending Ren a disappointed pout but relented nevertheless. Without someone egging her on, Kira also came to halt. Blake could have cried tears of joy. "Arcamantula are not well armored but they have a myriad of abilities to make up for that." Ren informed looking at each member. "Like actual spiders they have poisonous fangs as well as the ability to spin webs. Any ideas how to approach it?"

"Hit it till it dies?" Nora's suggestion sounded more like a question and an exasperated look from Ren quickly caused her to give him a wide smile.

"Let's try to immobilize it first," Blake suggested. "Aim at destroying its legs, eyes or head. If we can do that than it really isn't going to be much of a threat."

"The let's try that," Ren agreed. "Nora, you're with me. You two can handle yourselves, right?" Blake and Kira nodded their conformation. "All right, don't get overconfident. Break!" The group scattered all headed for the target. The Arcamantula screeched and immediately arced it back and spewed forth hundreds of strings of webbing.

"Kira!" Blake yelled but the girl was already in motion. Fire ignited in both of Kira's hands and she quickly launched them into the air. The incoming attack collided with the onslaught of fireballs. Kira focused on the crucial strands ignoring the shots that missed their mark. The flames ate the webs leaving a clear path to the spider. Explosions and gunfire erupted as Ren and Nora began their assault, injuring the Grimm. In response, it shrieked again and charged. Kira drew her weapon a medium length sword and Blake reacted in kind, readying Gambol Shroud for the assault. The four members attacked as one. Kira dug her blade deep into one of the monster's legs and Nora jumped atop slamming her hammer into the monster's head. Ren unloaded both clips into the spider's eyes and Blake took the chance stab it in another one of it spindly legs. The creature writhed in pain from the assault but did not fall. It began to flail, spreading webs in every direction.

"We need to retreat!" Ren yelled leaping back. "Don't get caught!" The other three reacted immediately abandoning their attack to ensure their safety. However, Blake's retreat was stopped short. As she tried to leap away she found herself ensnared in one of the previous webs strewn about. Noticing this, the Grimm made its move crawling towards the ensnared foe.

"Blake!" Kira realized her friend plight and began to move but Blake motioned for her to stop.

"I'll be fine, now go!" She shouted back to her distressed partner. There was nothing to worry about. With a single use of her semblance she was out of the webbing, leaving a fragile clone behind. Seconds later the Arcamantula's leg smashed into the clone. It shrieked in frustration at the loss of a kill and came to a stop allowing Blake to rejoined with the others.

"We're going to need a better plan. It more resilient than we thought." Kira muttered.

"I could try and smash it from up high, but it will probably move out of the way." Nora responded with a pout. "It moves pretty fast for its size. I would see me long before I could hit it."

"Then we just need to trap it." Ren realized. His gaze raked across the barren field and locked onto the still flaming threads. "Kira, Blake, and I will act as targets for the Arcamantula's silk. We need to run in circles to surround it. Once we have enough Kira will set it on fire. That should trap it for long enough for Nora to get in the final hit." Nora's grin was feral.

"Let's squash this thing like the bug it is!" With that the trio ran forward while Nora stayed back watching for her signal. Once the three had reached their destination, they began to sprint in a clockwise fashion. The Grimm began to spray more webbing trying to keep its opponents still. The piles of webs went from a few inches high to nearly a foot as the monster's attacks created more and more. Finally, Ren shouted his order.

"Light it!" Without hesitation Kira began throwing fireballs. The fire landed on the webs and quickly used it for fuel. The flames leapt high and they quickly surrounded the unfortunate creature. It squealed unable to escape the cage of flames. Before the trio could tear their eyes from the flames, an explosion sounded to their rear. Nora was flying high, laughing all the way. As she reoriented herself she took careful aim and with the final pull of the trigger slammed her Magnhild into the Arcamantula head. The creature exploded into black smoke quenching the fire as it dispersed. Blake gave a sigh of relief. After that entire ordeal she was exhausted.

"That was awesome! Who's ready for round two!?" Nora laughed, and Blake winced as Kira eagerly raised her hand. It seemed not everyone in her group shared her sentiment.

-Ω-

"Everyone survive?" Minato called out as the battles came to a close. Several cheers and a few groans were given as answers. He did a quick head count just to be sure and was relieved to find twelve. Some looked worse for wear but a majority look fine if not a little tired. Minato decided to take temporary control of their small coalition. After such intense battles he doubted anyone would argue. Thus, he led the way back through the woods towards the academy. It wasn't until halfway to the starting cliff did talk begin to pick up.

"Do you think we all passed?" Jaune asked in a hesitant voice. Weiss gave a huff of annoyance.

"We better have passed. It's not every day you take down a Nevermore."

"Technically none of us have passed yet," Nazo pointed out with a laugh. "The objective was to retrieve a relic and make it back to the top of the cliff."

"I'm sure we all did fine," Pyrrha soothed placing a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. "As long as we all make it back in one piece I think we will all pass." Jaune gave a small smile, but still looked nervous.

"What I want to know is what team I'm on," Nora announced excitedly. "I can't wait to get to know them!"

"Well, why don't we ask Minato?" Yang suggested. "I'm sure he has a guess about how the system works." This drew him a myriad of look ranging from interest to suspicion.

"How would he know?" Daryl asked eyes narrowed. "He's not working for the school, is he?" Minato held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"I am the headmaster's adoptive son, his apprentice of sorts," he explained. "I have lived here for several years and I have been able to see the examinations from year to year, so I know the general thought process that goes into these tests."

"So what team are we on?" Kira asked excitably, eyes sparkling with interest.

"Well, to start off," Minato began tapping his chin. "The partner, you met in the forest is definitely on your team. As Ozpin said before we began 'the next person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years.'" Ruby let out a cheer and gave him a high five while others gave their teammates nods. Weiss seemed to be glaring at her teammate and Nora actually tackled Ren to the ground. Once Ren had calmed Nora, Minato then held out his chess piece. "Next is the relics we all collected. From the cursory glance, there were about sixteen statues each with their own pair. Ruby and I have the black king piece, so we would probably be paired with the team that has the same relic." There was a shriek of joy and Minato stumbled back as Kira leapt into his arms.

"We're on the same team!" Kira gushed crushing him in her grip. Minato allowed himself a small smile as he removed himself from her embrace. He gave Blake a sidelong glance, but the girl gave no indication about her thoughts.

"So that means we could potentially find out our teammates now?" Weiss asked quickly. She whirled around facing Pyrrha in an instant. "What statue did you pick up?" She held out her own white knight figure hoping for a match. Pyrrha gave a nervous smile.

"Umm Jaune, which piece did you pick?" She was answered as Jaune pull out a white rook causing Weiss to deflate. Nora on the let out a laugh.

"Welcome aboard, we're more than happy to have you!" She shouted. Weiss looked dejectedly at her piece before another voice called to her.

"Over here princess," Nazo called, holding the other knight piece. "Looking forward to working with you." He finished with a friendly smile but only got a scowl in returned.

"Hey Nora…," Weiss began but Minato quickly cut her off.

"Don't even think about changing pieces." He informed her. "Students have been punished and even eliminated for trying to change teams. The point of pairing students this way is to get future huntsman and huntresses used to the idea of working with people they don't know. If we could just change teams then we wouldn't be able to function the same as most professionals." Weiss gave a pout but decided to stay silent.

"What about team leaders?" Ren asked. "Is that also something you know?"

"That's up to how well you performed during the test," Minato admitted. "The teachers watched us for the majority of the test and rank us accordingly among your teammates." He gave a defeated shrug. "Thus my guess is as good as any of yours about who will become team leader."

"Let's just focus on getting back first." Blake said finally adding to the conversation. "The test isn't even done yet." With that solemn reminded the party return to scanning the forest for potential threats. There would be plenty of time to celebrate later.

-Ω-

Minato tried to hold back a yawn as Ozpin gave his usual pre-team assignment speech. He had attended these enough that he had become sick of them. Sure, Ozpin didn't always use the same words, but the base message was still the same. He tuned the headmaster out as his eyes traveled to the newest four teams entering Beacon. Now that he was out of the Emerald Forest, he could actually examine the other students. In the front of the line, stood four boys Minato didn't know. They were a ways ahead of him so he could get a good look at any of the members. The next group was Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. He hadn't had the chance to fight alongside any of them, but they seemed like a solid team. Nora was whispering something to Ren who in turn was resolutely focusing on the stage. Jaune looked ready to puke from nerves and Pyrrha was doing he best to calm him down.

The team in front of his group consisted of Nazo, Yang, Weiss and Daryl. While he had known Yang and Nazo through his time at Signal, he was clueless on Weiss and Daryl. He hoped for his former teammates that they handled themselves professionally on the battle field. However, from the way Weiss was glaring at her partner, he was could make a few assumptions about her. To be fair to the Ice Queen, the cheetah Faunus was glaring dagger back, which probably didn't help the mood.

Finally, that left his team. There was his partner Ruby as well as Blake and Kira. He didn't see any major faults his team may potentially get snagged on, but it was always prudent to check. Ruby was like an open book to him, having lived with her for several years. Kira, on the other hand he had known only as a child. He was sure that that she had changed in that time. However, Kira was an honest girl and he was sure he wouldn't have any trouble getting back into the normal rhythm with her. His eyes finally landed on Blake, the member he knew least. To him, she was an enigma. She rarely talked and when she did it was to get straight to the point. He made a mental note to ask Kira about her later. At that moment Blake caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow in question. Minato gave her a smile to which she just rolled her eyes and ignored him. He sighed to himself, not the best start but they would work through it. He looked back to the stage just as Ozpin began introducing the newest teams.

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of your retrieved the black bishop pieces." The letter appeared above the team as Ozpin spoke. "From this day forward, you will work together as team Cardinal. Led by… Cardin Winchester." The crowd applauded as the team made their way off the stage. Once all of them had left Ozpin invited up the next team.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces." On the screen the letter appeared. "From this day forward, you will work together as team Juniper. Led by … Juane Arc." The room once again cheered and Jaune looked shocked at the responsibility placed on him. Pyrrha attempted to punch him lightly on the arm but he toppled over instead. Once that have been cleared up, they were dismissed, and the next tam was called forward.

"Nazo Gwynt, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, and Daryl Tutul. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces." The letter formed on the screen above the members. "From this day forward, you will work together as team Wind. Led by … Weiss Schnee." The same cheers rose, and Weiss seemed to positively glow on stage. Finally, it was his team's turn and they were called up onto the stage.

"Ruby Rose, Minato Arisato, Blake Belladonna, and Kira Ryusei. The four of you retrieved the Black King pieces." Ozpin said with a smile. The letter appeared on the screen above the members. "From this day forward, you will work together as team Embark. Led by … Minato Arisato." The crowded clapped and Ozpin gave Minato a private smile. "Do me proud. I have great expectation for you." He winked, and Minato gave him a smile back. This was his first official step to becoming a huntsman. And despite the slight nerves in his stomach he knew he was ready.

-Ω-

Been 9 months since I updated but it is what it is. Writing certainly isn't my first first priority anymore. Still with the new release of RWBY season 5, I felt inspired enough to get a chapter out, maybe a few more if I can scrap together enough free time. Regardless I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

As always a huge thank you to my beta Mingyu. He was able to look this over with no prior warning, not sure how he finds the time.

As always thank you to everyone who favorited followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	6. Trouble on the horizon

The four members of the newly christened team MBRK have finally arrived in their designated room… and Blake is the only one that seemed to notice the elephant in the room.

"These beds are amazing!" Kira laughed as she took a running leap onto the closest one. "Blake! You have to come and feel these!"

"What do you think Minato? I think the ones at home were more comfortable, but I suppose these will manage." Ruby gave the mattress an experimentally press before settling down on it, trying gauge the feel.

"I am used to these kinds, so I doubt I will be losing any sleep." Minato easily responded slowly unpacking his clothes. "Besides, during field missions, you'll be sleeping on dirt anyway. Sleeping on a bed like this is a luxury."

"Are none of you concerned that Minato will be sharing a room with us?" Blake's question brings the room to a halt as everyone exchanged glances. Upon coming to Beacon, Blake knew that this situation was a possibility. That there could be one or more males sharing a room with her. Blake had been prepared for that…mostly. Yet seeing Ruby and Kira act so naturally had been off putting.

"Oh…I guess I really didn't think about that." Ruby said as she blinked, slightly surprised at the revelation. "I've lived with him for a while, so the thought never really crossed my mind." She answered with a shrug. "He's not that type of guy though, so we'll be fine."

"Yeah, Minato is a perfect gentleman." Kira broke in. "Nothing to worry about." Blake frown only grew deeper.

"You haven't seen him for years." She countered. "How could you possibly know how he is now?" Kira just shrugged in response.

"I can understand your hesitance Blake." Minato decided then to enter the conversation. "But, I can assure you that if I were to attempt any form of misconduct I will be kicked from the academy." He gave a wry smile. "If you don't kill me first." At this Ruby and Kira giggled and even Blake broke a smile. "Regardless, we need to get some sleep. We have a first day of class tomorrow and knowing some of the teachers here, we will need all the sleep we can get."

-Ω-

Morning came and with it a flurry of activity. The room was reorganized, and personal effects were quickly scattered about giving the space a more personal touch. Despite their rush to decorate, Minato had the team sit down in a circle. As team leader he had suggested that they introduce themselves as well as discuss anything they had been comfortable with. History, semblances, weapons anything that could help them work better as a team. They were going to be spending four years with each other after all, a good first step was communication. Still accidents were prone to happen and Kira had been a little too loose lipped and Blake secret had tumbled out before she could catch it.

"Blake's a Faunus?!" Ruby gasped looking between Kira and Blake in shock. It was times like these that Blake wished that she never met Kira. For as lovable, happy, and kind as Kira was, she was equally frustrating. She leveled a glare as the fox Faunus who only gave a sheepish smile in return.

"Um…well this is supposed to be a team building exercise." Kira tried to placate her friend, but Blake wouldn't have it.

"We agreed on what we would keep quiet about." Blake hissed causing Kira to flinch. "My bow was one of them." By no means was Blake ashamed of her Faunus traits, however she didn't feel the need to flaunt them. She wanted to be seen as Blake before any additional thoughts were added to the mix that could potentially ruin her image.

"Well it looks good on you." Ruby attempted to mediate but whimpered as Blake glare changed focused onto her.

"Enough." The argument ground to a halt as Minato spoke, voice calm but firm. As team leader it fell to Minato to minimize the damage. He turned his attention to Blake who still looked mildly disgruntled.

"I'm sorry that Kira was too forth coming with her information, but I can assure you that neither Ruby nor I will treat you any differently." Ruby nodded eagerly with a cheery laugh that managed to ease the tension out of Blake. "As for you Kira. I expect you to keep you to keep your promises. We all have sensitive information that we don't want spreading. Be more cautious in future, all right?" Kira's ears dropped slightly but she nodded all the same.

"I understand. Sorry Blake," Blake acknowledged the apology with a sigh. Once the mess had been cleared Minato spoke again.

"All right, did you have anything else to share, Kira?" Predictably Kira shook her head, unwilling to continue after her slip up. "I suppose it is my turn then. Seeing that I am the last one to share, I will make this brief." Blake had been rather tightlipped while Ruby had focused mostly on her childhood after her mother's death. Kira had just finished so Minato was left to speak. "I suppose for Blake benefit I will go over the whole story. I was born in a small home about a mile from the village called Scorch which is about a day's walk from Vale. I developed my Aura and Semblance early on and met Kira when wandering the woods one day. After a Grimm attack I was left an orphan as was adopted by Ozpin, who as you all know is the headmaster of Beacon. I had the opportunity to meet Ruby and her sister Yang early on and attended Signal academy with them. Once I graduated I came here and the rest is history." Of course, it had been a gross understatement of his actual past, but there was no reason to add it. "I suppose that wraps up everything, any questions?"

"What time do we have class?" Blake asked sending a cursory glance as the clock.

"We have our first class at nine." Minato replied looked through his schedule. "It's only quarter past eight now, so we have about forty-five minutes till class begins. Do any of you know where the room is?" Minato was met with concerned expression and shaking heads. "I can show you the way to class and we can get breakfast afterward? Does that sound good?" At his suggestion the four left and slowly made their way across campus. As he had done with Ruby earlier, Minato took the time to point out places of interest to his other two teammates. The auditorium, the gymnasium, and several other classrooms they would likely be frequenting. Finally, they arrived as the designated classroom and were surprised to see they were not the first one's there.

"Yang?" Ruby inquired upon seeing her older sister hunched over a desk face against her textbook. She seemed to be sleeping but, at the sound of her sister's voice Yang perked up quickly.

"Hey little sis, ready for your first day of-?" Her question interrupted with a titanic yawn. Clearly, she hadn't slept well. At this, Minato surveyed the rest of the room and found the rest of team WYND. Weiss was studiously going through her textbook, taking notes as she did so. Nazo looked like he was doodling in his notebook but would every so often rub his eyes clearly fighting sleep. Finally, Daryl was situated in the opposite corner of the room, ignoring them all.

"What are you doing here?" Kira asked looking over her classmates.

"Our leader wanted us to get to class early," Nazo answered stretching himself in a valiant effort to stay conscious. "Though I will have to say this is a bit early even for me. We still have quite a bit of time before class."

"As the leader of team WYND it is my responsibility to make sure my teammates get the education they need." Weiss declared. "Early attendance is a fundamental building block of the learning process." She would have continued if not for Daryl cutting in.

"If you want my opinion, arriving for class an hour early was a complete waste of time." His statement had a clear edge.

"I didn't ask your opinion, Faunus." Weiss snapped back, practically spitting word. Yang gave an exasperated look and Nazo sighed. Suddenly, Minato was glad his team was relatively functional. Internal strife could easily destroy a team, and this one was already decaying rapidly.

"We were going to the cafeteria for some breakfast, any of you interested in coming?" At Minato's suggestion Yang and Nazo immediately rose from their seats. Weiss and Daryl sent each other a glare before Weiss spoke.

"I will be staying here." The icy undertone in her voice daring Daryl to argue. The stare down ended abruptly as Daryl gave a huff of annoyance and stalked towards the door and out of the classroom. Taking that as their cue, team Embark left as well with Yang and Nazo trailing along. As they arrived at the cafeteria the six members took a table for themselves. Daryl sat at the far end of the room.

"Thanks for the save," Nazo said once they had sat down at the cafeteria. "The tension between those two is unbearable at times."

"It is always like that?" Blake asked from across the table.

"Worse," Yang replied between mouthfuls. "I think she toned it down because she was in a public area. Back at our dorm room it can get pretty bad. She has been filling the room with disinfectant spray since yesterday."

"How does that correspond to her hatred of Faunus?" Ruby asked unable to make the connection.

"She did it because she complains that the room smells like animal." Nazo said in disgust. "Said it loud enough for Daryl to hear too."

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Kira snarled stabbing her pancakes with extra force. "Treating Faunus like trash. What did we ever do to her?"

"The White Fang is known to be at odds with the Schnee Dust Company." Minato reasoned. "She must have a developed a hatred for them and Faunus in general due to their actions."

"It's still unfair to Daryl," Blake argued. "He probably has never affiliated with the White Fang and she is treating him like an animal."

"While I don't condone our leader's behavior, Daryl certainly isn't helping the situation." Nazo cut in gesturing to the lone Faunus in the corner of the cafeteria. "He snipes Weiss and undermines her whenever he can to get even. It sparks more fights than not. They both need to get their priorities straight."

"I'm with you on that one but what are we supposed to do?" Yang asked rubbing her temples. "Weiss is close minded about her beliefs and Daryl is as stubborn as a mule." The conversation stopped, and it was only until Minato looked up did he realize that everyone was looking at him expectantly.

"Just because I am team leader doesn't mean I have some magic way to fix your team," Minato sighed lowering his silverware. "Besides even if I tried, I would probably be ignored. Neither wants to be told that they are wrong."

"So, then there is nothing they can do?" Kira asked her ears drooping slightly. "They team is doomed to fall apart?"

"I wouldn't say that," Minato replied. "Ozpin and the other instructors believed that out of the four members of team WYND, Weiss would make the best leader. Things many not be off to the best start but look at it objectively. Weiss has been placed under a lot of pressure and she is probably trying to cope with it. Just give her time to adjust. Making your thoughts clear to both Weiss and Daryl might help smooth the process."

-Ω-

As one would expect on the first day, the majority of classes were introductions and syllabus. The standout teachers were Professor Port, whose lesson ended with a fight against a boarbatusk, and Professor Oobleck, who managed to fit three lectures into the span of one session. Finally, the last class of the day was upon them. The teacher was Professor Goodwitch, known as the strictest of all the teachers at Beacon. Her choice of weapon, a riding crop, certainly seemed to cement this idea within the student body.

Despite his team's complaints, Minato lead his team into the hall 10 minutes before the warning bell. Professor Goodwitch had a harsh attendance policy and even if he was a favorite of hers, Minato did not want any reason to earn her ire. The room was shaped like a small stadium, a small ring in the middle surrounded by rows of seats. Finally, the bell rung, and the doors snapped shut. With a snap of her riding crop Glynda began her lesson.

"In this class you will be training your skills in live combat." Glynda looking over her students with a critical eye. "While many Grimm are mindless, experienced Huntsman and Huntresses may need to fight against more intelligent foes. This class will force you to think on your feet and make strategies with minimal information." From there Glynda explained how the fights would be run, detailing the aura gauges and their function.

"Now I believe the best way to show what I talked about in a demonstration. The four newest team leaders will be assisting me." Minato heard an audible gulp that he assumed came from Jaune. "They will be participating in a small bracketed tournament. Make sure to pay attention to the aura gauges on screen." With a hit of a button, the random selection process began. "The first two fighters will be… Weiss Schnee and Jaune Arc." Weiss ascended the steps with elegant grace while Jaune managed to stumble his way into the ring.

"Hopefully this will be exciting," Kira whispered from beside Minato, but he only shook his head. The match had been decided before it even began. It was plain from the opening exam that Weiss' skill surpassed Jaune's by any standard. Furthermore, Jaune was visibly shaking, his nerves already taking over. Weiss, on the other hand, didn't show any sign of distress. With such an obvious handicap, the match would be over soon.

"Begin!" Glynda declared and Weiss sprang into action stabbing her rapier into the ground. A glyph appeared beneath Jaune and within moments he was frozen in place. The boy attempted to free himself, but Weiss was far faster and had already lunged at him. The impact flung Jaune from the ring as well as dropped his aura into the red. Professor Goodwitch made a note on her scroll before speaking. "Thank you for such a brilliant show Miss Schnee, if you would please clear the ring for the next contenders." With a nod the girl returned to her seat. "Cardin Winchester, Minato Arisato. Please come to the arena." As instructed the duo rose making their way to the ring.

"You got this Minato!" Ruby yelled showing her support.

"Show him that team MBRK is the greatest!" Kira exclaimed from beside her matching her volume. Blake only gave an encouraging nod, but she smiled regardless showing her support. As Minato took his position across from his opponent, he tried to dig up any information that he knew. Cardin Winchester was a close combat fighter and was built to take a hit. While Minato didn't know his semblance he certainly could take a few guesses. A solid strategy would be to keep his distance, but it would also be the expected one. Thus, the best plan of attack would be to lure him into close quarters and strike when he least expected it. But how to do so?

"Your whole team is full of girls. Are you sure you aren't one yourself?" Cardin mocked from across the arena. Minato ignored it, flicking the insult away like a clumsy swing of a sword. It was a clear attempt to rile him up. An angry fighter made mistakes which would do little for him in a battle. Still the tactic itself wasn't terrible. With a flick of his wrist, shadows surged into his palm forming a short sword.

"Minato," Glynda called. "Are you not going to use your standard weapons?"

"No, he isn't worth the time." Minato replied calmly, much to Cardin's anger. "Please begin the match." A small smile curved onto Glynda's lips, clearly having caught on to his strategy.

"Very well, begin!" As expected Cardin charged Minato, his mace already arcing towards his head. Minato quickly brought up his weapon and blocked the attack grunting at the force behind it. He had been aware that Cardin had strength, but he had underestimated the amount. Still Minato managed to hold his ground and with a yell pushed forward, causing Cardin to stagger back. Minato capitalized on the opportunity, quickly rushing onward as the shadows in his hand twisted, forming into boxing gloves. He attacked Cardin relentlessly, striking his chest, shoulders, and even his face. Cardin recovered from the flurry of attack, swinging his weapon in an arc causing Minato to retreat. A quick look at the aura gauges showed that Cardin was one attack before entering the red.

"Nice try squirt, but I am still standing." Cardin called holding his mace up defensively. "You want to try that again?"

"Not really," The shadows swirled again this time forming into a small throwing knife. With practiced ease, he hurled the shadowy projectile. Cardin jumped to the side watching the knife spin by before watching dissipate harmlessly at it reached the arena's edge. He looked back a confident grin on his face. It melted into one of horror as he realized that Minato had already drawn his gun, using the knife as a distraction. With a single gunshot, the match was declared over, and Cardin sulked back to his seat. Cheers erupted from his teammates and several others joined in as well applauding the duel.

"Very nice match Mr. Arisato, now if you would rejoin us on stage Ms. Schnee." The ice princess complied quickly and finally the last two contestants were on stage. Minato eyed her carefully, even as Weiss held her rapier at the ready. Known for both their dust and glyphs, the Schnee's were certainly an opponent that were not to be taken lightly. He had met Winter, if only in passing, and been told first hand her skill. He had no doubt that her sister would have a few tricks up her sleeve. He needed to be cautious. After another moment of observation, Minato slowly withdrew Thanatos from its sheath.

-Ω-

"Oh, this is going to be good." Yang muttered leaning forward in her seat. Daryl sent her a questioning look.

"What do you mean? Isn't it normal for people to use their weapons?"

"Not Minato." Nazo chuckled, sharing Yang's anticipation. He was at the edge of his seat, wide grin never failing. "Minato has always had a habit of using his semblance over his physical weapons. He only uses his weapons when he needs to get serious." Yang laughed at the statement.

"I remember that he once said it was because he was too lazy to do weapon maintenance, but personally I think it's because he doesn't like going all out. Back in Signal only a handful of people managed to force him into drawing his weapons. If he is drawing his weapon this early, then we can expect an exciting fight." With that Daryl looked back the field, clearly interested.

-Ω-

"You may begin when ready." Glynda called. Minato waited for a moment before springing into action. Myrtenaster met Thanatos and the harsh ringing of steel echoed throughout the room. The exchange between them was fast and precise. Minato strikes were deflected, however none of Weiss' met their mark either. Realizing the stalemate, Weiss used her semblance, a white glyph forming below Minato. Sensing the danger, Minato leapt back avoiding the icy prison that appeared moments later. He landed observing the battlefield quickly. As expected a frontal assault was easily countered. Her semblance also gave her more than a few options when it came to both close and distant fighting. Still his semblance was just as versatile. Minato gathered shadow in his left hand. A second sword joined the first and Minato charged. He rose the shadow sword for an overhead strike. Reflexively Weiss rose her rapier to block the attack.

" _Wrong move_ ," Minato thought. The shadow sword waivered and then morphed. It extended and grew a large hook at the end. Weiss' eyes widened as she realized that the sword had just changed to a scythe. Even if she blocked the handle, the blade would still reach her. Instinctively Weiss jumped to the side only to feel Minato's other sword slam into her. In her haste she had forgotten his original weapon. She was sent flying but quickly recovered, holding up Myrtenaster defensively. While she only sustained a single hit, but a quick look to the screen told Minato her aura gauge had dropped significantly. Two more blows like that and she would be out. Still he needed to be cautious himself. His own gauge had lost some green due to his semblance use.

"I'm impressed, not that I would expect any less for Ozpin's protégé." Weiss admitted. "Still I think it is about time you learned the full power of a Schnee." With that the white maiden stabbed her sword into the ground and glyphs appeared surrounding the arena. What in the world was she up to? Did she intent to trap him? With a backwards leap, Weiss landed on one of the glyphs and used it to catapult herself at Minato. The move was a simple linear attack and was easily dodged. However, as Minato turned to find his opponent, he found her flying at him at twice the original speed. He twisted, attempting to avoid her weapon but was grazed as he was too slow to react. Minato mind quickly put the pieces together. The glyphs were not to trap him but to act as catapults allowing Weiss to bombardment him with highspeed attacks. He turned to face Weiss' next pierce only to find that instead of attacking him she had aimed for a different glyph, one that would not have him in the trajectory. His stomach sank as he realized her reasoning. She was building speed. Soon she would be nothing more than a blur and he would have no way to stop her.

" _Think, she moves faster with every glyph she touches, and you can barely avoid her as is, much less counter attack."_ Minato winced as another swipe manage to graze him. The attack was impressive, but certainly not flawless. While her speed was noteworthy, her attacks were all in straight lines. The only time she could change direction was when she touched a glyph. What could he do to utilize that defect? As he managed to avoid another charge, he smirked as an idea came to mind. She would even see it coming. Thus, as Weiss made yet another dash at Minato, he quickly made a wall of shadow. While the rapier's thin blade easily slipped through the gaps in particles, Weiss was not so fortunate. She crashed into the barrier at inhuman speed dropping her aura bar straight to zero. The glyphs faded and once Glynda confirmed that the unconscious Weiss was not suffering from a concussion declared the match.

"The winner is Minato Arisato."

-Ω-

"That was amazing!" Ruby hooted. "I can't believe you managed to figure out how to stop Weiss! She was moving so fast that I was getting dizzy just watching!" The class has ended and while Weiss was carted off to the infirmary the rest of the teams began to make their way back to their dorms.

"Yeah, I mean I guess it was ok," Nora said offhandedly and smile on her lips. "If I had been in there, I doubt that Minato would have been the winner. No offense Jaune."

"None taken." The blond mumbled as he trudged along still sore for the whole ordeal.

"You're just jealous that our team leader is the best," Kira announced. "And by default, that makes team Embark the best."

"Keep dreaming," Yang laughed. "Minato lost to me at Beacon. I would have wiped the floor with him if I had been team leader."

"Wait…didn't you only win when it was a three on one match?" Nazo spoke up from behind. "I distinctly remember that you were the only one left standing and even that was a near miss." Kira and Ruby burst into laughter as Yang's cheeks flushed.

"Shut it. A win is a win."

"Still the last fight was certainly impressive," Blake surprisingly spoke, nose still buried in a book. "I would have had some serious trouble with that last technique. You did very well."

"I think all the fighters did well." Pyrrha smiled. "I am excited to see how well we all do in the ring." She sent a sly smirk to Minato that made him shiver. "I especially want to take a crack at you."

"I as well," Ren spoke from beside Nora. "Your semblance makes you quite the unique fighter. It would be an enlightening experience." To Minato's displeasure, everyone agreed voicing their own willingness to fight against him.

"Then we have made our final decision." Nora declared. "An eleven on one match. Everyone verses Minato. Anything goes, TO THE DEATH!" The following cheer was quieted as another voice spoke.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I would appreciate if you kept my apprentice in one piece. He is not a pinata after all." Professor Ozpin was standing before them, his signature coffee cup and cane present. "Furthermore, while I understand your excitement, please do keep it down. Not all the students on the dorms like the volume quite so high." At their sheepish looks, he gave a small smile. "Still I am glad that you are having a wonderful time at the academy." Here he looked to Minato. "I am sorry to drag you away from your team, but I would like to speak with you."

"Of course," Minato nodded. He turned giving an apologetic smile to his team. "Look like I will be gone for a bit. Can I trust you to hold down the fort?" He was met with a round of nods. Permission given, Minato departed with Ozpin following him up to his office. Glynda was already waiting for them and gave Minato a smile when he emerged from the elevator. As Ozpin relaxed in his chair, he began.

"So how was your first day? I heard from Glynda that you had the opportunity to fight Ms. Schnee. How was it fighting someone from one of the more well-known families in the world?" Minato thought for a few seconds choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"Difficult but not overwhelming. She is a diamond in the rough, but certainly a diamond nonetheless."

"Yes," Glynda cut in. "She scored exceptionally well in the entrance exam. Depending on what characteristics you look at she could easily have been in the top three behind Ms. Nikos and you."

"May I ask the criteria that kept out from the top three?" Minato asked though he was relatively sure he knew the answer.

"Teamwork." Glynda sighed. "I knew that individuals from the Schnee family were proud, but to this degree? If not for Ozpin, I would have given the girl lower than a zero. If she doesn't shape up, team WYND is doomed to crash and burn."

"Out of curiosity then, why was she placed as leader?" Minato questioned, relatively confused at her assigned role. If she was going to fail the team, then wouldn't the smart choice be to give a different member leadership?

"It was a calculated risk." Ozpin spoke from his desk. "And quite frankly, we didn't have much of a choice. Mr. Tutul was too much of an introvert and is a loner by nature. From the data we collected there is a change he would flee and leave his team than lead them to victory. Ms. Xiao Long would have been a good choice due to her outgoing nature but she is too forceful and headstrong. This would lead to poor decision in the field and during combat. Mr. Gwynt was the exact opposite. He is too easygoing. A team is assigned a leader to make the tough choices and take charge when there are different opinions. There was a high probability that he would simply fold to his more forceful teammates making his position pointless."

"I can see you reasoning." Minato winced. While he did not enjoy his friends being evaluated as failures, it wasn't like he could disagree with the analysis.

"Thus Ms. Schnee was placed as the leader." Ozpin continued. "While she did score the lowest in the area of teamwork, she is excellent leader material. She is not only skilled, but she excels at tactical thinking. If she can get over her prejudice of faunus and pride as a Schnee, she might be able to lead one of the most successful teams in the history of Beacon." Minato nodded, the reasoning was sound. However, that only brought up the question of why Jaune was named captain of his team. Weiss being leader was a slight stretch but Jaune was certainly not leader material… at least in Minato's opinion. Questions for later he supposed, he doubted Ozpin wanted another discussion on teams.

"While I appreciate the explanation, may I ask why I was called here?" Minato asked glancing between Glynda and Ozpin.

"Of course, Glynda if you could?" Ozpin gave Glynda a signal and she nodded sending a screen up to the main monitor. It was detailed map of Vale showing a multitude of X's around the map.

"In the past few months there have been several dust robberies in the vicinity of Vale. While we don't know their purpose yet, it can't be for anything good." Minato hummed his acknowledgment. He remembered that Ruby had been admitted into school due to her help apprehending some dust robbers, but he had been unaware that the problem was this bad.

"While this situation is worrying, there no real action we wanted you to take. We simply wanted to keep you in the loop." Ozpin explained. "What we wanted to inform you about is next."

"Two highly dangerous individual have been apparently been sighted near Vale's borders." Glynda opened, changing the screen to show to faces. One showed the face of a beautiful woman, with black hair and bicolored eyes, one green the other blue. The other picture was a man in metal armor and a metal mask. "These individuals are known as Wasp Queen Natsumi and Metal Man Gordon. They are two of the ten epitaphs." Minato's breath caught. The Ten Epitaphs was a group of extremely dangerous criminals within the continent of Anima. They all boasted incredible skills as well as top of the line equipment. But what made them the most dangerous were their semblances. They were known to have some of the most diverse and terrifying ones in the known world.

"The wasp-queen holds the semblance of manipulation." Ozpin explained, his voice low. "It is known that she had robbed men in broad daylight, with them willingly giving everything they had to her. Furthermore, the metal man has the semblance of metal manipulation. Any metal he touches can be formed into whatever shape he desires. It's even rumored that his control is so fine, that beneath his skin rests a metal layer protecting him from attacks." Ozpin looked Minato directly in the eye. "Under no circumstance should you engage these individuals. We wanted to warn you. Even Qrow would be pressed to his limit against either of these foes." Minato nodded. He wasn't planning on locating these individuals regardless thus he would heed the warning.

"Do we know why they are here?" Minato quickly asked examining the two individuals. "The epitaphs are supposed to operate in Anima, why are they across an entire ocean?"

"Unfortunate we don't know, and quite frankly it would be dangerous to try and find out." Ozpin shook his head. "What little information we do have was acquired at great cost. I am not willing to risk more manpower on such a dangerous task."

"We don't want to scare you," Glynda assured. "However, being informed of this information is more prudent than not. As we said prior do not face these individuals, and if possible, help people flee if you come in contact with them. If there are any updates, we will get back to you as soon as we hear anything. Please rejoin your team and get some rest. I will see you in class tomorrow." With one last farewell Minato departed, leaving Glynda and Ozpin alone. "Will we really be alright?" Glynda asked suddenly. "These dust robberies are one thing but having these two appear at the same time? Is it really just a coincidence?" Ozpin only shook his head.

"I really don't know. I can only hope that we are prepared when the time comes."

-Ω-

Has it really been a year? Regardless, it has been too long, thus a chapter has been made. It was quite interesting looking at this story again, especially after a year long hiatus. Plenty of ideas were scraped, but several more were salvage or created to filled the gaps.

This is the part where I promise to keep updating but with my track record I won't get anyone's hopes up. Still with the newest season of RWBY fueling me, a new chapter might be closer than I think.

A huge thank you to my beta Mingyu. Not sure how he keeps up with my random schedule but I thank him for doing so.

And as always thank you to everyone who favorited followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


	7. MBRK vs WYND

As team leader, Minato saw it as his responsibility to keep the members of team Embark on top of their grades. The classes taught by each of the teachers held a wealth of knowledge and as the saying went 'knowing is half the battle.' Furthermore, if Ruby failed any of her classes… well Minato had a feeling he would get a few angry letters from a certain father and uncle. Thus, Minato urged his team to attend class and study, ignoring the protests of a certain fox Faunus the whole time. Yet even as Ruby's head dipped, eyes struggling to keep open, Minato didn't have the heart to reprimand her. Professor Port's lectures had a knack for causing students to sleep after all.

"So there I was, facing down hundreds of Beowolves and-" Minato zoned out the rest of the professor's exaggerated story in favor of copying any pertinent information from the diagrams behind the teacher. He decided that he would have to share his notes later, seeing as both Kira and Ruby were slowly succumbing to sleep, and Blake had found her novel much more interesting. Just as he jotted down the last few details, Port finished his long-winded account. "Oh, would you look at the time, the class is almost finished!" Port declared, taking a look at the mounted wall clock. "Well then I have an assignment for you all. By next class I want a full report of the Grimm you find to the most dangerous, except a living one of course." The attempt at humor was met with silence except for a few snores here and there. Dismayed at the lack of a reaction, Professor Port cleared his throat and dismissed the class.

"Thank god that's finally over," Kira announced as she woke from her short snooze. "We don't have anymore classes for the day, so what should we do now?"

"Go to the library," Minato replied instantly rising from his seat. "We have a report to write, and knowing you two, you're going to procrastinate till the last second." This last point was emphasized with a look to Ruby and Kira who were both giving dejected expressions.

"But the paper isn't due till next week," Ruby whined. "Can't we do this tomorrow?" She flashed him a pair of puppy dog eyes, but the action had long since lost its effect.

"Fine, you can work on it tomorrow." Minato replied with an eye roll. "Know that I won't be giving you any help with the report if you choose to do so." His teammates deflated at the mere prospect of completing their assignment without their leader's help. It was only the second week of school and the amount of homework was already staggering. Their only saving grace was Minato, who usually studied beforehand and helped with any project best he could. Dispirited, the two girls grudgingly agreed to work.

"I would suggest we get to the library then," Blake announced closing her reading material. "We don't want all the reference books to run out." Thus, the group of four slowly made their way to the school's library.

"So what Grimm are you going to look up?" Kira asked as they turned another corner. "The biggest Grimm out there? Or maybe something with crazy powers?" There were a few moments of silent pondering before someone spoke.

"Beowolves, actually." Ruby was the first to answer. "I am not particularly afraid of them, but they are some of the most common, especially around Vale. I suppose they are some of the most dangerous due to their numbers." While the response was delivered with a smile, Minato noted how Ruby's grip tightened on her uniform. _She must still remember the time Yang dragged her out in the wagon_ , Minato realized. Though she held no real fear, the subconscious scare from the attack still hadn't faded.

"It would probably Deathstalkers for me," Kira piped in. "I mean, their so big and fast and… and…" She trailed off as the words died like ash. Minato held no illusion of what she was thinking and quickly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled, the gesture quickly elevating her mood. "What about you Blake? Probably some type of dog Grimm, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Blake hissed shooting Kira glare. "There aren't any dog Grimm." At the team's silence Blake expression changed to one of worry. "Wait is there? Come on, don't keep staring at me like that." At her increasingly frantic voice, Kira began to laugh, and Ruby let out a small snicker. Even Minato gave a small smile. Blake flushed, realizing that she had been tricked and huffed in annoyance, turning away from the group.

"What about you Minato? Which Grimm are you going to research?" Ruby asked once the laugher had died down.

"The Apathy." Minato's answer was met with a few confused looks. "They are a group of Grimm discovered in Anima." He quickly explained. "They are a slow-moving humanoid type of Grimm, that drain a person's will power with their screams."

"That doesn't sound too dangerous," Kira said. "I mean, if they are slow moving, wouldn't you be able to kill them quickly?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Minato gave a small smile in response. He had first read about such creatures when he was only a child. At the time his stomach had clenched violently. It was if it was a walking spreader of Apathy Syndrome, taking the strength of others forcing them to die and slow death. It made him wonder if there were other parallels in this world. The ideas surrounding that of Persona were close to that of aura and semblance after all. He shuttered to think that something like the full moon bosses could be lurking around in the land of Remnant.

"We're here," Blake's announcement dragged Minato back to the present. Beacon's library was by no means small. Not only did it have multiple floors, but it had articles spanning all interests. It held books ranging from the history of the four major cities to the children stories Minato had heard as a child. It also had several computer terminals to access digital information. Ruby had even discovered a section of comics for those less… research inclined. However, most importantly, it held information related to Grimm and their attributes.

The group split, each focusing solely on their task and Minato began at one of the terminals. A quick search brought up a multitude of sources. His eyes landed an article labeled "The Monsters of Anima." He quickly opened the link, trying to decipher if it would be useful for his assignment. To his relief the article was relatively new, having been published only a few years prior. That in mind, Minato scrolled to the table of contents. To his surprise, the article had used the term 'monster' quite loosely. There were sections on Grimm, but also past corrupt Mistral officials as well as famed criminals and bandits. What caught his attention was the section labeled, The Ten Epitaphs. Curiosity winning out, Minato quickly skipped to the section and began to read.

Chapter 25: The Ten Epitaphs

The Ten Epitaphs are known as the ten most powerful criminals on the continent of Anima. They are genuinely feared and respected, many choosing to ignore their deeds just to avoid conflict with them. In the past this even went as far as the government of Mistral giving them free reign in some areas. In reality, the group actually has humbler origins. Prior to the Great War, Mantle abolished the arts and enforced the repression of self-expression, and required its ally, Mistral, to comply. It did, however they complied only selectively leaving the outer cities to suffer while the central cities continued their normal lives. Many saw this as hypocrisy, and eventually ten fighters rose up to combat the injustice.

These were first Epitaphs, that fought for the people of Mistral and against the bias laws. While their individual talents and semblances were notable, their greatest advantage was teamwork. Due to their communication, collaboration and trust with each other, they repeatedly overcame insurmountable odds. Some historians have argued that their efforts and sabotage played a major role in weakling Mistral so that Vale and Vacuo could eventually overcome them. It is also popularly cited as the reason huntsman and huntresses are placed on teams, though this is up to debate.

After the Great War, the Epitaphs stayed together acting as a pseudo police force for the more inaccessible areas of Mistral. Over the years, members left and were replaced with new fighters eager to join the cause. However, the acts of the group slowly started to shift from freedom fighters to criminals. Actions were soon taken against the group, however due to their fighting prowess and uniqueness of their abilities, Mistral's efforts were soon called off due to their lack of effectiveness.

There are only two known ways to join the group. The first is to be specifically chosen when a member of the Ten Epitaphs either dies or retires. The other is to kill a current Epitaph and provide proof of doing so. The former of the two options is the far more common choice though there have been cases of the latter happening.

As can be inferred, knowledge on these individuals is varied. Some live very secretive lives, while others flaunt their identities. Regardless of such each had been given an epithet and a number. The order is usually based not on strength but overall importance within the group.

The following list contains the most recent members as of the publication of this article.

1: The Thief, known semblance of "Steal." Can steal any physical object from a specific radius from himself. The item is transported to the him instantaneously regardless of any objects blocking the line of sight or path of travel. He is the current leader of the Ten Epitaphs and easily the most dangerous. He is known for stealing the eyes, and even the heart of opponents just to make a fight short. His range is known to have a limit, but an exact distance has never been recorded.

2: Third eye, with the debated ability of Precognition. While this is one of the more debated members of the Epitaphs, her ability on the battlefield is unquestioned. She has correctly identified the semblance and abilities of hundreds of huntsmen and huntresses. Even more, they are almost impervious in battle, dodging attacks with inhuman reaction time. The main reason for the debated ability is due to several confirmed surprise attacks being successful. This has brought up the validity of the semblance and other abilities have been proposed.

3: The Lizard, known semblance of Regeneration. Can heal from any known wound, from simple extremities, to the entire body. The regeneration is relatively quick, the only limiting factor is that an excessively large wound can take several minutes to heal. It has been assumed that regeneration of the head is impossible but there had never been a confirmed case of a successful attack on it.

4: The impersonator, an unconfirmed semblance of Copy. Due to the nature of her assumed semblance, there are varying reports on the impersonator's true semblance. She has been known to mimic the semblances of both huntsmen and Epitaphs alike and only needs to see the semblance once to copy it. However, her skills with the borrowed semblances are subpar. This can be attributed to trying to learn a new semblance from scratch, but others posit that due to their copied nature the semblance will never be as perfect as the original.

5: Sanctuary, with a known ability of Barrier. Can erect an impenetrable shield to any attack. Due to her ability, she plays a supportive role among the Epitaphs. The major downside of this ability is that upon use, the user cannot move from their position. Furthermore, attacks cannot pierce any side of the shield thus all oncoming attack and outgoing attack will be stopped. Though there are known exceptions such as the aforementioned Thief, who can steal even if a barrier is in place. Consumption of aura is known to be quite large and when created it has never lasted more than ten minutes.

6: Wasp Queen, a confirmed semblance of manipulation. While her semblance is known, the way she places her victim under her influence is still speculated. While many have guessed that her alluring looks play a role or perhaps her voice acts like a pseudo siren's song, there are confirmed cases of both blind and deaf individuals falling under her spell. While under her influence, any order she gives are obeyed without question and no memory of said actions is retained upon release. Gender and sexual orientation does not matter in her targets and there have been no cases of successfully resisting her effects. However, she is limited to controlling two people at a time. Any more and previous victims will awaken from her effects.

7: Metal Man, an established semblance of Metal Manipulation. Not to be confused with magnetism, metal manipulation is complete control of any metal that is touched for an extended period of time. As opposed to magnetism, which can only attract and repel nearby metal, metal manipulation can change a metal's shape freely, and can even change it into a molten state for easier forming. Due to his exceedingly slow movement speed, theories suggest that Metal Man holds metal underneath his skin, so that he is ready for any attack and can counter at any time. It is also noted that his thought process seems to be sluggish as well, though if this is due to his abilities is unconfirmed.

8: Beast, an unofficial semblance of strength. While not highly rank among the Epitaphs, his strength is argued to be the highest. He had performed feats of strength that even a group of huntsmen could never hope of achieving. Lifting vehicles and boulders several times his weight is a common occurrence. He has even thrown a large boat at opponents nearly 400 meters away. An oddity of his is that he is always hungry and constantly eating. He has been known to carry multiple bags containing exclusively meat onto the battle field and eats as he fights. It is unknown if he simply is keeping his energy up as his semblance burns so much or if the act of eating gives him strength.

9: Null and Void, with a confirmed semblance of negation. A former huntsman that was specifically scouted and then recruited to the Epitaphs due to his ability. It is theorized that at least six of the ten Epitaphs could be easily apprehended or killed if their semblance was negated. Therefore, it is assumed that Null was recruited out of necessity, due to the potential danger to the current Epitaphs. As his ability does not assist them in battle, Null is a highly trained swordsmen and is on par to some of the top huntsmen worldwide.

10: Unknown. As the nickname implied, almost nothing is known about this member. Gender, age, appearance, and semblance are all unknown. What is known it that they joined upon killing the previous 3rd Epitaph due to suffocation via an unknown method (see previous Epitaphs section for further details). However-

"This is why all Faunus are so-!" Minato's reading was interrupted by a familiar voice. Glancing up from his terminal, Minato was met with a disturbing sight. Weiss was glaring at Daryl who was returning the look with equal intensity. The rest of team WYND was nearby, looking torn between stepping in and hiding behind the bookshelves.

"All I asked was to see that book when you were done!" The cheetah Faunus snapped.

"And I told you, you can keep your dirty paws off my resources till my paper is complete!" The argument was starting to draw attention as more and more people began to peek out from behind the shelves. Minato saw the remainder of his own team appear, and to his dismay it seemed Kira was about to burst.

"Why are you always like this!? Why are you treating him like he is some sort of animal?" Kira broke into the quarrel, ignoring Blake's frantic gestures for her to stop. Weiss' attention quickly flipped to her.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" She snapped back. "Or do all you animals poke your noses where they don't belong?"

"WHAT!" Kira nearly leapt at Weiss before Minato's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Enough!" His declaration cut through the yelling like a knife through butter. Minato rose from his seated position and made his way to Kira's side. "This is a library, if you can't keep your voices down, then I suggest you leave." Though Minato only looked at Kira, the statement clearly included Weiss as well.

"It's not my fault that you're such a sorry excuse for a team leader," Weiss retorted. "You should keep your teammate on a shorter leash."

"With all due respect Ms. Schnee, a team leader is supposed to effectively utilize and nurture each member of their team, regardless of skill or background." Minato's words caused Weiss expression to twist into a scowl.

"Are you suggesting that I am failing in my duty as a team leader?"

"No," Minato shook his head, "I am telling you that you are failure. At this rate your team will fall apart, and you will have no one to blame but yourself."

"And how did you manage to reach such an inaccurate conclusion?" Weiss hissed dangerously. Minato thought about revealing that it wasn't his conclusion but Glynda's but decided against it. He doubted that Weiss would believe him and putting blame on Ms. Goodwitch probably wouldn't end well.

"If you believe my analysis to be inaccurate then let's make a bet. Next week Monday, we are having our first team battles. I will speak with Ms. Goodwitch so that our teams battle one another. If your team wins, I will give you formal apology for my comment. However, if my team wins, then you will have to take my suggestions to heart. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, and I can't wait to here your apology on Monday." Weiss quickly sent a look to her team. "We're leaving to train, we have a match to win." With that the ice princess departed and Daryl soon followed with a scowl on his face. Yang waved her apologies and Nazo shrugged his shoulders in exasperation. Once team WYND had left, Ruby nervously drew up next to Minato.

"So…what do we do now?" The uncertainty in her voice was clear. No doubt she was worried about fighting her sisters' team in combat.

"We still have a paper to finish." Minato responded casually returning to his previous seat. "I still intend to finish it before the day is finished.

"What about the battle?" Kira questioned her voice rising. "Don't we need to get training? Aren't they going to wipe the floor with us?"

"No, I think we are going to be just fine." Minato replied. "If I know the Ice Queen as well as I think I do, then we have nothing to worry about."

-Ω-

Weiss gave one final yell as she charged Nazo. He brought up his sword to block but was too slow and was sent flying backwards as Myrtenaster struck home. He gave a groan as he lifted himself into a sitting position but was otherwise unharmed due to his aura.

"Your reaction time still needs some work, but you've improved Nazo." The only response he gave was panting as he tried to regain his breath.

"Weiss, we have been at this since morning, it's about time that we took a break." Yang called from the sidelines. "Come on, a small amount of rest won't kill us." Weiss hesitated slightly before nodding. It would do no good to run her team into the ground, especially before such an important fight. As WYND reclined in a small circle, Nazo finally broke the silence after he recovered his breath.

"Training is good and all. But we do have a plan right? Minato is no pushover. It won't matter how hard we train if we don't have a plan of attack."

"Of course I have a plan." Weiss countered. "Both teams have four members (well three members and a pet, but who was counting?) so we don't have a numerical advantage, but we have the advantage in experience and strength." She pointed at Yang. "Yang knows her sister well enough and can definitely wipe the floor with her." Yang gave a guilty smile but nodded all the same. "Furthermore, while Blake is agile, Nazo's wind manipulation places you on par with her." Nazo took the compliment with a shrug. "And finally, the two Faunus can keep each other occupied." Daryl expression twitched but he held his tongue.

"What about Minato," Yang cut in. "Can you handle him by yourself?"

"I can," Weiss declared confidently. "I was caught off guard with his originality with his semblance, but I won't be making the same mistake. As soon as you finish your individual fights, back me up and the battle will be ours." Yang pumped her fist while Nazo gave a small smirk.

"But what if-" Daryl began until Weiss cut him off.

"What if what Faunus?" Another glare crossed Daryl's expression before he gave a huff turning away. "That's what I thought." It was simple math really. Each of her individual members were better than Minato's, thus her team would be victorious. Nothing complicated about it.

-Ω-

"What do you mean we need to talk strategy?" Ruby asked incredulously. "Team WYND has been training for the past several hours and we have yet to lift our weapons." Much like their opponents, team MBRK was seated in a circle, but as Ruby had pointed out, they had yet to train.

"Ruby, even if you trained for the entire day, do you think you could beat your sister on Monday?" Minato countered, freezing the young girl.

"Well no…"

"Kira, Blake, do you two believe you could defeat Daryl and Nazo individually?" The two exchanged a look before Kira responded.

"Maybe? It would come down to a variety of factors." Kira shrugged unable to give a more concise answer.

"Exactly," Minato nodded. "At first glance, our members are either individually weaker or less experienced. However, this is not four 1 vs 1 battles but 4 vs 4."

"What's the difference?" Ruby cocked her head to the side.

"Teamwork." Blake spoke up realizing where Minato was headed. "Is this what you meant by 'knowing Weiss as well as you think you do?'"

"That's right," Minato smiled. "Over my years here at the academy, I have seen numerous teams formed. A common mistake among them is believing that team fights are just multiple one on one fights simultaneously. If you fight that way, then it comes down to basic mathematics."

"So, your saying we should think of it as two 2 vs 2 matches or potentially a 3 vs 3?" Kira questioned.

"You're halfway there," Minato chuckled. "This is why we need to talk strategy."

-Ω-

"Team Embark and Team Wind, please come to the arena." Glynda announced as CRDL and JNPR left the grounds. The eight fighters descended onto the battlefield, Minato and Weiss stepping forward to exchange a handshake.

"Hope you have that apology ready," Weiss smirked as she shook Minato's hand. "I will be expecting it by the end of this match." Minato's only reply was a smile as he ignored the prebattle talk. Handshake finished, the two returned to their respective sides. Weiss drew her rapier, and Minato responded by drawing his own weapons.

"If both teams are ready, you may begin." With a moment's hesitation, team WYND shot forward, each member targeting their designated opponent. In stark contrast MBRK stood motionless, waiting for their opponents. Weiss' eyes narrowed, warning bells going off as she began to slow her attack. It was too late though. Once Nazo passed Minato's semblance threshold, their opponents took action. A shadow claw formed and leapt out grabbing Nazo and dragging him out of formation. Tossing the wind user behind him, Minato erected a shadow wall blocking any of her teams attempts to rescue their stolen comrade. Weiss immediately sent a glyph to Nazo's location, but Minato fired a round of bullets at her causing her to abandon her attack in favor of defending. The three on one match ended quickly as Ruby, Blake and Kira made quick work of the single opponent. Nazo's aura dropped into the red and Minato dropped the wall.

"Stay back, use ranged options." Weiss ordered immediately. Minato had turned the fight to his advantage within the first few minutes of the battle. Clearly close combat was not a viable option. Even as Yang readied her Ember Celica, Weiss realized the problem. Daryl didn't have a long-range option. Still his semblance could change the tide of battle. "Daryl, let's hold them in place." Daryl responded quickly and Weiss made a gravitational glyph beneath team MBARK. Immediately their opponents faltered due to the strain. Minato gritted his teeth as he was unable to raise his weapon. Blake and Kira's shoulders slumped due to the intense strain. Ruby was forced down to almost her knees, Crescent Rose the only thing keeping her slightly upright.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel." Yang laughed as she unleashed a barrage of bullets. Minato quickly brought up a wall, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Even if Minato held the wall, his aura would eventually run dry and then it would be easy pickings.

"Solitare." Minato's word made no sense to Weiss, but apparently it was an order. Blake immediately used her semblance escaping the gravity prison and Ruby used her weapon to follow suit. Upon their escape, they launched themselves at the Daryl who dropped his semblance in order to defend himself. Due to the lack of extra gravity both Minato and Kira stood upright and left Weiss' glyph. Weiss readied herself while Yang finished reloading her gauntlets. Minato and Kira rushed forward and Weiss and Yang responded in turn. If it was only a standard two on two then Yang's close combat skills would give them the advantage.

"Shadow Flare!" Minato shouted another order. Kira leapt back against expectations, gathering a ball of flames in her palms. It grew and grew until it almost blinded Weiss and Yang. Weiss stood ready, but the immense fireball was never thrown. Why? Weiss squinted into the light, only to realized that Minato had sheathed both his weapons. She paled as the reason for the fireball dawned on her. It wasn't meant as an attack, it was made to create more shadows.

"Get back! Weiss leapt away but the order was too late. Even as the words left her lips a myriad of shadow weaponry emerged from the floor. Like a terrifying tornado, the weapons spun and quickly swallowed Yang who was unable to react. A quick look at the status screen showed as Yang aura quickly dropped to zero. Weiss looked back to Minato and Kira only to find Ruby and Blake had rejoined the pair. Daryl had fallen in battle as well it seemed.

"Kira, throw it." Minato ordered, and the giant fireball dropped like a meteor. Weiss countered by sending a flurry of ice-based attacks at the projectile. She achieved her desired results as the attack exploded causing both sides to cover their eyes against the eruption. As the blast ended Weiss lowered her arms trying to track the other team. Minato, Blake and Kira were standing before her, weapons at the ready. But where was Ruby? A yell from behind her answered the question. Like a twister, Ruby spiraled at Weiss using her semblance. Though Weiss was fast enough to block the blow with Myrtenaster, the force alone knocked her off her feet. As she landed on her back Minato called out to his team. "The enemy is down! Time for an all-out attack!" The match was soon finished after that.

-Ω-

"I can't believe you all ganged up on me at the start." Nazo complained albeit with his usual calm. "I didn't even get to do anything." Ruby laughed at his mock disappointed face.

"Sorry, but Minato said he would take the first person who got the closest." Ruby apologized. "While we had some back up plans, we figured you would be the fastest."

"That's thinking ahead." Daryl complimented giving a low whistle. "Did you also anticipate the double gravity? Or was that on the fly?"

"Well, we did know about your semblance, so we planned accordingly." Blake responded quietly. "Though the double gravity was certainly a surprise. I suppose we were lucky getting out of it so quickly."

"Sounds like you guys did some serious planning." Yang chuckled. "But what is with those team attack names? Shadow Flare? Solitare? It sounds like a two-year-old made them up. You guys couldn't do any better that that?"

"We didn't exactly have time to spare." Kira responded, "Besides I like 'Shadow Flare.' It has a certain charm to it."

"That's because you thought of it," Blake commented causing the others to laugh.

"Still that was on heck of a match, I would mind going another round with you guys." Nazo announced. "Maybe this time I can do something." The six members continued to discuss the battle while Minato and Weiss looked on from afar.

"Did you know it would end like this?" Weiss asked watching as Yang put Ruby in a playful headlock. "That this would be my complete defeat?" Minato rolled his eyes at the dramatic wording.

"Hardly, I simply based your potential actions on what I have seen countless times from other team leaders here at Beacon. Taking your pride into account, I was certain that you would attempt to tackle this fight like a game of numbers." Even he had faced the same problems as the field leader of SEES. It helped that the shadows were relatively mindless, but a few close calls had opened his eyes to the reality of fighting as a team.

"If you had utilized Daryl's semblance of gravity, you could have mimicked our technique with ease." Minato continued. "Have him draw a person in while you make a wall of ice. Nazo's mobility makes him an excellent supporter as well as a frontline fighter and only a few people in the school can match Yang with her semblance. You have an amazing team Weiss, and it's your job to make that come to fruition."

"How?" Minato looked to her then and he could tell she was lost but determined. She wanted to make team WYND great, perhaps even legendary, but she didn't know the first step to do so.

"I told you in the library remember?" Minato replied. "A leader leads by example. If your team sees you giving your all so they can improve, they will respond in kind." A wistful smile came to his lips as he saw Kira and Ruby laughing as Blake smiled. "Mine certainly has."

"I see…" She responded. "Thanks for the…advice." With that Weiss departed. _Perhaps that was all she needed_ , Minato thought as he watched Weiss bow before a started Daryl. A nudge in the right direction. Perhaps the future was looking just a bit brighter.

"So, I suppose that ended well," Ruby smiled as she stepped up beside Minato. "Hopefully they will get along better."

"We better be prepared then," Minato replied. "Now that their team dynamic is recovered, they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with."

"I say bring it on," Ruby cheered. "There's no way that can beat Team Embark that easily. We just need to think of it as a little extra credit." Minato blinked.

"Speaking of credit, you did finish that paper, right? I was so distracted by the looming fight that I completely forgot to double check with you." Minato expression fell at Ruby's sheepish grin.

"Yeah about that… I still have more than twenty-four hours to finish." Minato could only sigh. Perhaps he should focus on fixing his own team before helping others with theirs.

-Ω-

I just missed the new year for the new chapter, but I tried. Originally I had planned to update, both Embark and New Beginnings, but time is something that I can never seem to get enough of. I will admit that my new release with probably be for New Beginnings though, so the next chapter of Embark might take a bit.

A huge thank you to my beta Mingyu. He looked over this chapter is record time.

And as always thank you to everyone who favorited followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.


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